Unexpected Meetings
by ninjanervana
Summary: AU. When Keiko is saved one night by the leader of the notorious Black Dragon gang, Yusuke Urameshi, her life goes on a crazy roller coaster turning her world upside down and teaching her about love, friendship, and the meaning of danger
1. Protector

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

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Keiko wanted to kick herself as she walked down the dark street, her eyes constantly measuring the distance between one streetlight and the next. She could have easily called her father and asked him to pick her up from work and drop her at her apartment, but she was far too stubborn. She had moved out of her parent's home five months ago and she began to think her new independence made her invincible. _'Stupid stupid Keiko,'_ she thought as she waited for the crosswalk light to change_. 'You cannot stay at work until midnight and walk home. Where is your common sense?'_ She darted across the street quickly, walking a bit faster as she glanced behind herself. The streets were mostly empty in the small town ten minutes away from Tokyo. Usually during the day the streets were crowded with people and cars, everyone rushing to reach their destination. But at night the area was absolutely desolate, everyone gone home for the evening.

She whirled around fearfully as a cat darted out of a yard, knocking over a can on the curb and startling her. _'Just calm down Keiko; nothing is out here,'_ she told herself, trying to calm her rising fear and paranoia. She swore every time she walked home late that she would buy herself a bottle of pepper spray, not to use on anyone, just something to give her peace of mind as she walked home. _'Maybe I should have listened to Mom and Dad and moved into Botan's apartment.' _Botan, Keiko's best friend since junior high, had her own apartment; unfortunately Botan's apartment would have taken Keiko almost an hour to get to without a car.

"Hey beautiful," a voice called from behind Keiko, making her skin crawl. Keiko glanced over her shoulder quickly, glimpsing three large men behind her. _'Oh crap,'_ she thought, speeding up slightly. She fumbled in her pocket for her phone, remembering the battery had died as her fingers brushed against the keys_. 'Faster, faster.'_

"Where ya goin? Come have a good time with us," another voice called, the other two men laughing at his comment. Keiko swallowed in fear, looking up at the street sign a few feet away._ 'Seven blocks Keiko, just seven blocks.' _The men followed her across the street, closer than before.

"Come on honey, you should have some fun with us. We know how to entertain a lady," a man said lewdly. Keiko's palms began to sweat, tightening their grip on her purse.

She tripped on the uneven concrete, falling forward slightly. The men used her lack of balance to their advantage, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the alley a few feet away. A hand covered over her mouth, smelling of sweat and sake. The smell made Keiko's stomach lurch in disgust, the smell filling her nose. She bit down on his hand, causing him to pull away quickly. "Let me go!" she shouted, swinging her purse and clipping one of the men with it. She made a dash for the street, only to be grabbed a few feet away.

"You bitch," the man she bit said, slapping her hard across the face. Keiko's head snapped back, her vision blurring momentarily. She had never been in a fight before; she never even had her parents raise their hands toward her. She felt as if she had been dropped into an alternate universe. She raised her hand to swing her bag again, only for her wrist to be grabbed tightly and squeezed until she dropped it. "You're not going anywhere missy," he said, shoving her into the brick wall behind her. Keiko's head banged against the wall hard, causing stars to flash before her eyes.

Keiko swung her arm to slap the guy, unwilling to go down without a fight. She began to kick and claw at the men as they attempted to hold her down, fighting as if she was possessed, screaming her lungs out. Keiko was unable to get out, the men's weight working against them. "Behave!" one of the men yelled, punching her in the jaw. Her vision faded to black as she felt something wet trickle down the back of her head. _'Blood,'_ she thought, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"What do you think you're doing!" a voice shouted from the entrance of the alley. Keiko's head slowly turned in that direction, the blood from her head slowly dripping down her hair and the back of her neck. "Take your hands off of her now!"

"Why don't you make us?" one of the men replied, turning toward him as the other two held onto Keiko.

Keiko's eyelids drooped, her ears picking up on the sounds of a fight. _'He's trying to protect me,'_ she thought, immensely appreciative to her savior. The two arms that were suddenly pulled off her, causing her to lean against the wall as her shaky knees tried to hold her up. After a minute her knees gave way, almost sending her to the ground if it wasn't for the pair of arms that grabbed her just in time. Keiko looked up at her protector, her hands holding onto his arms. She was surprised by how good-looking her protector was, his dark brown eyes with gorgeous black hair, his black tee-shirt fitting tightly against his well-sculpted muscles. "W-who are you?" Keiko asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm Yusuke," he replied, holding her more tightly. Keiko nodded as she slipped into unconscious, wondering if his deep voice sounded good saying his name, how amazing would it sound saying hers.

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Review please && let me know if i should continue :]


	2. Medical Attention

'_Crap,'_ Yusuke thought as he grabbed the unconscious girl's body tightly. He lifted her into his arms, cursing softly as he saw the blood slowly dripping from her head._ 'No wonder she passed out,' _he thought, picking her bag off the floor.

After visiting his mom in the small city like she always harassed him to do, Yusuke heard the girl's frantic screams as he walked to his car. What this girl was doing all alone at night he had no idea, but his attention was more focused on the three men that surrounded her. His blood boiled at the memory of seeing her frightened but still fighting. He kicked one of the guys in the head as he walked out of the alley and toward his car.

He took his phone out of his pocket as he put her carefully in the car, bundling up his shirt and tucking it behind her head to slow the blood loss. She didn't seem to be too injured, beside the cut to the back of her head her lip was split and a bruise was forming on her jaw. _'That's a shame; she's pretty cute,'_ he thought as he looked at the bruise blooming on her. "Hey Yukina," he said as a voice finally answered the phone.

"Hello Yusuke, how are you?" a cheerful voice answered.

"I'm fine," he replied, starting his car. "Are you at the apartment?"

"Yes, I'm here with Kazuma; do you need to talk to him?"

Yusuke held in a chuckle at Yukina's use of Kuwabara's proper name; besides his sister Yukina was the only person to call him Kazuma. "No no, I don't need to talk to Kuwabara; I'm bring someone back to the apartment and they could use some medical help. They aren't banged up too badly, but having a doctor check her out would be pretty handy right now."

"Her?" Yukina asked. "Have you gotten into any trouble Yusuke?" she said in her sisterly tone. After being with Kuwabara for so many years, Yukina had become a little sister of sorts to him.

"No I haven't; it's kind of a long story Yukina, I'll tell you when I get there. Just don't go anyway," Yusuke said, driving quickly toward Tokyo, his eyes shifting to the unconscious girl every few seconds.

"Okay Yusuke; I'll be waiting," Yukina replied, hanging up the phone.

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Yusuke knew he had to look weird walking into the building with an unconscious girl in his arms and no shirt on. Then again the doorman at the building had seen him and his boys come home in more curious conditions, Hiei carrying a slightly bloody sword, Kurama covered in so many cuts it looked like he had flown through a windshield, Kuwabara weaving through the building of the lobby. After a while the doorman and front desk clerk knew not to ask any questions; they just did their jobs. He was grateful to find the elevator empty, inserting his keys into the lock that allowed the elevator to go to the 15th floor. The entire floor was rented out by Yusuke and the rest of the Black Dragon gang, all living in different rooms while sharing the same kitchen and living room space. It was almost as if they lived in a dorm, living with each other without stepping on anyone else's toes.

"Yukina!" Yusuke called as he stepped out of the elevator. He walked into the living room to find her cuddled against Kuwabara's side, a first aid kit resting on the coffee table. "Well isn't this a cute sight?" Yusuke teased.

"Yusuke, what happened to that poor girl," Yukina gasped, getting off the couch and pushing Kuwabara off to allow Yusuke to lay her down. "Who is she?"

"I don't know who she is," Yusuke replied, running his hand through his hair as he looked down at the unconscious girl. The sight of her battered and bruised made his stomach twist uncomfortably, as if it was filled with shards of glass. "As for what happened, I found her in an alley trying to fight off three guys." Yusuke felt his initial anger re-flare at the memory of her trying to fight them off.

"They did grabbed her off the street!" Kuwabara shouted, getting to his feet. Kuwabara lived by a code, believing no man should ever raise his hands against a woman. He was probably just as angry as Yusuke. "Did you kick their asses?"

"Hell yeah I did; they won't be waking up anytime soon," Yusuke replied.

"Should go back for those stupid bastards. Three men against one woman, what kind of people are they?" Kuwabara muttered.

Yukina shook her head as she listened to Yusuke recount what he had seen happen to the girl and how he handled them. Yukina knew she lived a protected life; she had never been harmed, never had a hand raised against her, rarely had a voice even raised against her. Her twin brother, Hiei, was always there to protect her growing up. Then she had her boyfriend, Kuwabara, to look after her. With Kuwabara came the rest of the Black Dragon gang, Yusuke and Kurama. She had an entire family to watch after her and she knew how to protect herself. But as she finished bandaging the unconscious girl up, she knew that wasn't the life everyone lived. This girl was just walking the streets and she was attacked; what kind of world were they living in. Yukina rubbed some ointment on the girl's jaw, hoping it would heal faster, before she rose off her knees.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Yusuke asked worriedly.

"She should be fine; the worst of her injuries is the gash on the back of her head, but that should heal without a problem. Odds are she'll wake up with a headache, but an aspirin should clear it up. Hopefully she won't have a concussion. You can move her to your room," Yukina said, standing next to Kuwabara.

Yusuke carefully carried the unconscious girl to his room, setting her gently on the bed. He brushed the bangs from her eyes, taking in her smooth creamy skin. _'Who are you,'_ he thought, pulling a chair to the side of his bed to sit.

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How are you guys like the story so far? Review and let me know if yuh have any suggestions


	3. Getting to know you

The first thing Keiko noticed as she slowly emerged from unconscious was something cool and soft resting against her cheek. She turned her face closer toward it, relishing the pleasant feel of it. The events of a few hours ago flooded her mind, causing her to sit up quickly in fear. She braced her hands against the bed as her head swam at the sudden movement. A hand against her forearm kept her from falling off the bed as she swayed slightly. "Easy there, you need to rest," a vaguely familiar voice said, pressing her shoulder back gently to get her to lay back on the mattress.

She turned toward the figure, relaxing slightly as she recognized her savior from the alley. Keiko whimpered softly as her head rested against the mattress, a pain lancing through her skull. "Oh god," she groaned, her hand going to hold her head. She thought the pain was bad when the guy banged her head against the wall, but this pain was so much worse.

"Here drink this," the man said, holding out a bottle of water and two aspirin pills toward her.

"Thank you…Yusuke right?" she asked, sipping the water and swallowing the medicine. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, biting her lip slightly.

"Yeah, I'm Yusuke. What's your name?" he replied, resisting the urge to run his palm across her forehead and try to soothe her pain.

"I'm Keiko. Keiko Yukimura. Thank you for saving me…I would have been in a lot of trouble if you hadn't shown up." She looked at Yusuke carefully, her eyes shining with appreciation and thankfulness.

"It wasn't a problem," Yusuke said, tearing away from her gaze. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of brown he had ever seen, shining with little flecks of honey in them. "What were you doing out there so late anyway; it's not safe to walk there alone."

"Yeah I know," Keiko said, shaking her head and wincing at the movement. "I was working late in the bakery; I own it and I lost track of time."

"Still it was a pretty stupid move walking home alone," Yusuke scolded.

"I know!" Keiko said sharply in aggravation._ 'I know I did something stupid; why does he need to point it out?'_ she thought. "Where are my clothes?" Keiko asked worriedly, looking down at the black shirt and shorts she was wearing. "And how did I get bandaged up?"

"That was all Yukina's work; she's a nurse so she fixed you up and changed you into some of my spare clothes. Yours are in my washer; they had a lot of blood on it," he answered, scowling slightly. _'There should have never been any blood on them,'_ he thought.

"Is she your girlfriend?" she asked, wanting to suck the words back into her mouth as she said them. Here she was in the house of her protector, basically a stranger and she was asking him about his personal life. Did she lose her manners with the blood loss?

"Nah, she's my best friend's girl," he replied. "Though why she's with a knucklehead like him I'll never know." Yusuke shook his head, a small smile on his face.

Keiko felt oddly happy knowing Yusuke didn't have a girlfriend. _'Keiko Yukimura what are you thinking,' she_ scolded herself. "Well I appreciate everything you've done for me but I really should be getting home," Keiko said, slowly pushing herself up slowly.

"You're not going anywhere," Yusuke replied, leaning back in his chair. "It's three in the morning; just rest and I'll take you home in the morning." The way Yusuke spoke left no room for discussion, irritating an independent Keiko. But she knew she couldn't get home without his help, she didn't even know where she was in the first place.

"You know you can be annoyingly forceful," Keiko said as she laid back down, huffing slightly.

Yusuke smirked at her words. "I'm just used to getting my way in my line of work."

"And what would that be?" she asked, rolling over to face him.

Yusuke paused; he didn't want to get this random girl mixed up in his world, even if she was gorgeous with her beautiful white smile, her deep brown eyes, her shining brown hair and her porcelain skin. To tell her that he was the leader of the Black Dragon gang for the southern part of Tokyo would mean putting her in danger. And she would probably run screaming from the room. _'Probably not the best idea Yusuke,' _he thought. "I…umm I run a business actually."

"Really? What do you do?" she asked curiously.

"Me and my friends are bodyguards; we do protection detail," he answered. It was partially true. Yusuke and his team did protect people occasionally, but they tended to break limbs more than save them.

"Yusuke's bodyguard service," Keiko mused, a smile playing on her lips. "Judging by the way you handled those guys I guess business must be good."

Yusuke laughed, a sound that made Keiko's heart melt. She ran her gaze quickly over him, taking in his very dark eyes, filled with secrets, his hair that looked like it was as soft as a cloud, his toned arms and chest covered in a snug shirt. He could definitely be a heart breaker. "Yeah me and my friends do alright; we live comfortably."

"That must be nice," Keiko said, yawning as her eyelids drooped. "My apartment is pretty small, but it's home you know?"

Yusuke thought back to the little apartment he had grown up in with his mother, his bedroom still there in case he needed a place to spend the night. "Yeah, home is where the heart is I guess."

"Well my heart's with me so I guess this is home tonight," Keiko said softly as she fell asleep again, her words barely reaching his ears.

Yusuke felt his heart lurch oddly at her words, taking him by surprise. It was almost as if he wanted his room to be home. _'Keh you must be really tired Yusuke,' _he thought, pulling the blanket up to cover Keiko more. _'She couldn't stay here. She's so sweet and innocent; to tangle her up in this life would ruin her. She wouldn't even know what she got into.'_ Yusuke leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head as he closed his eyes, following Keiko into sleep.

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Aren't they cute? Reviews please


	4. Morning Scares

So i had a reader ask me what the characters' ages are and i realized i never really mentioned it. Oops. So for the record: Keiko, Yusuke and Kuwabara are all 22. Hiei and Yukina are 21 and Kurama is 23.

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Keiko stretched her arms over head, yawning as she slowly woke up. She had slept peacefully after speaking to Yusuke, her body using the time to repair itself. Her hand went up to her jaw as she yawned again, climbing out from under Yusuke's warm blankets. _'I knew that punch was gonna leave a mark,'_ she thought as she walked toward the mirror hanging above Yusuke's dresser. "Not as bad as I thought it would be," Keiko said to herself as she observed the blue tinged skin along her jawbone and her split lip_. 'Would have been worse if Yusuke hadn't shown up,'_ she thought looking around the room. _'Where is he?'_ Keiko walked out of the bedroom, adjusting the t-shirt and basketball shorts she had slept in.

Keiko made her way down the hallway and into the kitchen, her stomach growling slightly. _'One drawback of working late: missing dinner.'_ Keiko began to fiddle around the kitchen, standing in front of the coffee maker as it brewed a fresh pot of coffee.

She gasped slightly as she found a knife at her neck and someone standing behind her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" the angry voice asked. Keiko opened her mouth to reply but found her words caught in her throat from her immense fear. "I'll ask you one last time before I slit your throat; who are you?" Keiko tried to swallow to relieve the dryness in her throat. _'From thugs on the streets to guys with knifes, I really can't be safe anywhere,'_ she thought, panicking. _'I could really use your help right now Yusuke!' _

"Hiei, what are you doing to that girl?" a different voice asked.

Keiko used the momentary distraction to elbow the knife-wielding man in the stomach, catching him by surprise, before she ran full tilt back to Yusuke's room.

"Yusuke!" Keiko screamed as she ran back down the hall. "Yusuke, help!" Keiko flung his door open quickly and ran into him, the impact almost knocking him to the floor.

"Keiko, what happened?" he asked as panicked tears escaped her eyes. He held onto her forearms, his thumbs running circles against her skin.

"This guy came up behind me in the kitchen with a knife," she whispered fearfully as she tried to pull herself out of his grip and further away from the door.

_'Crap,'_ Yusuke thought as he placed himself between the doorway and her. "Listen Keiko, you don't have to be scared."

"I presume she's your guest then," a voice said from the doorway, interrupting him. Keiko hid behind Yusuke as he turned to the man in the doorway. The man was slightly shorter than Yusuke with spiky black hair and wore a white shirt and black jeans.

"Yeah, she is. Did you need to scare her half to death?" Yusuke asked irritably.

The man shrugged as he turned away from the pair. "Had to make sure she wasn't an assassin. With our line of work, you never know who may be coming for us. Had to take extra precaution since Yukina is here," he replied, walking away. Yusuke shook his head as he turned back to Keiko. Hiei was one of his best men, always dependable in a jam, but sometimes his actions were a bit overzealous. "I'm really sorry about that Keiko. My friend, Hiei, can be a little overcautious sometimes." Yusuke wanted to punch Hiei as he noticed Keiko's fingers trembling slightly as she brushed her tears away. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her until she felt better. He was basically a stranger to her; he didn't want to freak her out more.

"I-is he always like that?" Keiko asked, trying to push away her fear. She was with Yusuke now and she had a feeling he would protect her from anything that threatened to harm her. He was…calming to her.

Yusuke laughed slightly. "Some days are better than others. He's just edgy because his little sister spent the night so he's on high alert. Come on let's get some breakfast," Yusuke said, leading her out of the room. Keiko's eyes finally roamed Yusuke's body now that she didn't fear for her life. Yusuke was shirtless, his chest muscles glistening slightly for the water he hadn't dried off, his jeans hung low on his hips, revealing the top of his boxers. Keiko looked away quickly, blushing. "See something you like Keiko?" Yusuke teased as he noticed the blush across her cheeks.

"Oh shut up," Keiko replied, punching him in the shoulder. She was surprised by how easy the gesture seemed, as if they had known each other for years instead of hours.

"There's your guest," a red headed man said from the kitchen as she and Yusuke entered. "I was worried Hiei had gotten to her before she could get to you."

"You saw Hiei threaten her and you didn't do anything Kurama!" Yusuke said angrily.

Kurama held his hands up in defense. "Now now you know I wouldn't do such a thing. As I questioned Hiei about what he was doing, your friend dashed off to your room, screaming your name." He put his hands down as he saw Yusuke calm down a bit, picking his cup back up as he turned toward her. "You make an amazing cup of coffee I must say. My name is Kurama Minamino; it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, holding out a hand to her.

"I'm Keiko Yukimura," she replied, shaking his hand. _'At least one of Yusuke's friends is normal.'_

"Yo Urameshi, what's up with the noise so early in the morning," a man with orange hair said as he walked into the kitchen, a woman about her age wearing a nurse's uniform walking next to him. "Oh hey she's awake, hi," he said, waving at her.

"Keiko, the big idiot is Kuwabara and the girl next to him is Yukina, Hiei's twin sister, Kuwabara's girlfriend and your doctor last night," Yusuke said, introducing them. "Everyone this is Keiko Yukimura.

Keiko felt her eyes widen as she looked at Yukina; she didn't look anything like her angry, dangerous twin brother. She quickly remembered her manners, bowing to Yukina. "Thank you very much for taking care of me Yukina."

"Oh it wasn't any trouble at all," Yukina replied. "I'm just glad you're feeling alright; I was a bit worried. How's your head feeling?"

"It's okay," she replied, her hand going up to rub the back of her head gently. "It hurt when I woke up early this morning but it's okay now."

Yukina nodded, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. "I'm off to work boys; I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Crap you're leaving? Guess we're ordering take out for breakfast again," Yusuke groaned.

"Seriously you boys need to learn to cook," Yukina laughed as she walked into the elevator.

"She is right," Kurama said, shaking his head. "One of us should learn."

"Yeah that'll happen," Yusuke said sarcastically. "So what's it gonna be? Pizza, Chinese, sushi, fried chicken?"

"Umm…I can make breakfast if you guys want," Keiko said softly. All eyes turned to her, making her wish she hadn't spoken. _'Maybe I shouldn't have offered,'_ she thought, blushing from their intense stares.

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Reviews please :]


	5. Strange Feelings and Dangerous Enemies

Keiko fidgeted under the intense stares of the guys, shifting nervously from one foot to another. She had never had this much male attention focused on her. She was pretty cute in her opinion; she may have been a little short in her mind but she took care of her body and stayed in shape. Still she'd never had three, now four men as Hiei walked into the living room, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. _'I only offered to make breakfast, not go on a killing spree,'_ she thought.

"You would make us breakfast?" Yusuke asked cautiously.

"Well yeah, I mean you saved my life last night. The least I could do is make breakfast for you guys," Keiko replied, blushing slightly at their looks.

"Wait can she cook?" Kuwabara asked Yusuke.

"Of course she can cook; she owns a bakery," Yusuke said proudly, glad he knew something about Keiko.

"I'm gonna go make pancakes or something," Keiko said, walking into the kitchen to avoid their slightly awkward conversation. 'These guys are so weird,' she thought, shaking her head as she listened to their conversation while searching through the cupboards.

"Urameshi, you should save girls more often especially if they can cook. Actually just bring Keiko back next time Yukina has to work the morning shift; home food is always better than takeout," Kuwabara said.

Keiko smiled as she pulled a bowl and flour out of the cupboard, her mind running over the recipe she had memorized for pancakes._ 'I wonder if they have any chocolate chips,' _she thought. She froze as she went to crack an egg, looking down at the bowl of mixed ingredients on the counter. _'Keiko, you're in a house with a group of men you don't know, you don't even know what part of the city you're in and you're going to make them pancakes?' _the logic part of her mind shouted. _'You should be finding your clothes and getting the hell out of there!' _Keiko knew the part of her mind yelling at her was right; any sane person would be getting their stuff and getting the hell out of the apartment. But Keiko didn't feel scared. She almost liked being in the apartment with everyone. She had learned quickly that while living alone gave you lots of independence, it also left you a bit lonely to come home to a silent house. She liked listening to the sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara talking, looking at the slight smile on Kurama's lips, even seeing Hiei sitting silently away from them. _'I'll just make these pancakes and go home,' _she told herself.

"Do you need any help Keiko?" Kurama asked as he put his coffee mug into the sink. "I realize we're being ungracious hosts by allowing you to cook."

"It's not a problem," Keiko said, waving off his apology. "I like cooking; it kinda makes me feel like I'm at home. Although this place does make me feel odd," she said, shaking her head as she mixed the pancake batter.

"How so?" Kurama asked.

"It seems familiar, but at the same time it's not. Like Yusuke. He seems so familiar to me, like I know him from somewhere, but I know I've never met him before. It's almost like a sense of déjà vu. Look at me babbling and I don't make any sense," Keiko laughed.

Kurama watched Keiko as she began to cook the pancakes in the frying pan. He had been suspicious of her at first; she could have very well been an undercover assassin sent to kill them all. They made a lot of enemies over time; it wouldn't have been strange for them to send someone to get rid of them. And who better than an innocent looking girl? But after listening to her story, he knew she wasn't a killer; she was just a girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was lucky enough to be saved by Yusuke.

"Hey guys, pancakes are done!" Keiko shouted as she took the last pancake out of the frying pan. "I put chocolate chips in them, I hope you don't mind."

"Keiko, you are an angel," Kuwabara said as he began piling pancakes onto his plate. She was glad she made more pancakes than she would need normally; judging by the way they ate, every pancake would be gone.

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Yusuke watched as Keiko cut her pancake carefully, eating with perfect table manners while surrounded by a bunch of guys who would have eaten them with their hands if they were pushed. No matter how many times Yusuke looked down at his plate or at the television screen, his eyes always wound back on Keiko. Something about her was just so magnetic. Maybe it was the breathtaking smile she had worn for most of the morning when she wasn't scared out of her mind. Maybe it was the soft tinkling laugh she had. Maybe it was the way her eyes met his when he looked at her. Just something about her drew him in. He found himself dreading when she would leave the apartment. It was almost 10 o'clock. He had work to do and he knew she probably had to get home or to work or maybe she even had a boyfriend waiting for her. He felt a pang of jealousy dig at his heart at the thought of her with someone else. _'Get a hold of yourself Yusuke; she's not yours.'_ Still he wished he could find a way to keep her with him, someway to keep her close. But with his line of work it was better to keep people he liked far away before they got hurt. _'You can dream Urameshi, but that's all,'_ he thought as he saw Keiko set her empty plate on the table. _'You gotta give her up.'_

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Meanwhile in another part of Tokyo,,,

"Urameshi and his gang are getting to be a little too troublesome," said the man sitting behind the desk. The man wore a green jacket over a darker green shirt and sunglasses to cover his eyes. He was simply known as Toguro, one of the leaders of the Red Demon gang, the rival of the Black Dragons.

"How would like to handle this brother?" the man sitting across from him said. He was the elder of the Toguro brothers, though they looked nothing alike. While the younger brother was tall and possessed large muscles, the younger was short and skinny, looking as if the right gust of wind might carry him away. While the elder Toguro had long, scraggly gray hair, the younger had short, straight black hair. They looked like complete opposites, but they ran the Red Demons together. "Urameshi has disrupted yet another one of our drug shipments."

"Karasu," Younger Toguro said, looking toward the closed office doors. A tall man with long straight hair walked into the office wearing a long black coat despite the coming warmth of spring.

"Yes Mr. Toguro," Karasu said, standing before him.

"I would like you to watch Urameshi and his team. Do research on all of them. Everyone has a weakness; I want you to find theirs and report back to me," Younger Toguro ordered.

"Yes Toguro," Karasu said before walking out of the door. _'It's only a matter of time,' _Younger Toguro thought_. 'Every empire falls eventually.'_

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What are the Toguro brothers planning? Why do Yusuke and Keiko feel so drawn to each other? Will Keiko find out the truth about Yusuke?


	6. Are you gonna see them again?

So i just re-watched episode 42 of Yu Yu Hakusho and i'm even more in love with Yusuke and Keiko

Yusuke: We've both been doing some growing up since we last saw each other, especially you *pokes Keiko's butt* Is it just the pants or did you get a really nice ass?

I love him, i fangirled so hard at the last 5 minutes of the episode so i thought i'd share.

* * *

Keiko watched the buildings go by as Yusuke drove her out of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to the outskirts of the mega city where she lived. After having a surprisingly pleasant breakfast with Yusuke and his friends, she had gotten dressed to return to her normal life and forget her trip to a "different world." Yusuke and his friends did seem like they were from a different place. Keiko was used to guys being more quiet and careful when they're around a girl but these guys didn't seem to care. They weren't disrespectful, but they didn't treat her like a china doll. It was refreshing for her.

"Sorry to keep you so late," Yusuke said, breaking the silence of the car ride. "I'm sure your boyfriend must be worried about you." Yusuke wanted to know whether Keiko had a boyfriend or not, but why he wanted to know he couldn't explain to himself. He tried to convince himself he only wanted to know so he could beat the guy into the ground for not protecting her better, but he knew that wasn't the real reason though he'd never say it.

"Oh no, I don't have a boyfriend, just my parents and my best friend, Botan. What about you? Will your girlfriend be mad that another woman slept in your bed?" Keiko asked curiously.

Yusuke laughed. "Nah I don't have a girlfriend to breathe down my neck."

"Why not?" Keiko asked before she could stop herself. "Not the breathing down your neck part, the girlfriend part," she elaborated.

"No one really gets me besides the guys. I haven't found a girl who's willing to judge me by more than my looks," Yusuke said, shrugging. "It's probably better this way; my job is stressful enough, I don't need some harpy screaming at me that I didn't take her shopping of something." They continued to drive in silence, both of them wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Here we are," Yusuke said as he stopped in front of an apartment building. "Which floor do you live on?"

"The first one," she replied. Keiko missed the look of worry that crossed Yusuke's face as she dug through her purse for her keys. _'What the hell is she doing living on the first floor? If anyone breaks in they can hit her apartment first,'_ he thought. "Thank you for everything you've done for me Yusuke, I really appreciate it," Keiko said sincerely, her hand resting on Yusuke's forearm.

"No problem, just don't take any midnight strolls alone okay? Call someone to pick you up," Yusuke replied.

"I will," Keiko said, kissing his cheek quickly as she opened the door. "Thank you again." Yusuke watched as she walked safely into her apartment, his mind replaying the soft feel of her lips against his skin. Even if he never saw her again, he knew she would never be someone he could forget.

* * *

"Keiko Yukimura, where in kami's name are you!" Botan screeched from Keiko's answering machine. Since Keiko's phone died last night, Botan left ten messages on her answering machine, each one getting more worried and annoyed. "Call me as soon as you get in or I'm going to call the police!"

Keiko shook her head as she dialed Botan's number. She always was the kind of person who would overreact. _'Though I guess she's not overreacting since I did get attacked last night,' _she thought as the phone rang. "Hey Botan," she said as her friend picked up.

"Keiko! Where have you been? I've been calling you all night. Your cell phone went straight to voicemail so I've been calling your house phone constantly," Botan said rapidly.

"Yeah I could tell by the voicemails," Keiko said humorously.

"Hey this is no laughing matter! I thought you were kidnapped or something. What happened to you?"

"You wanna come over for me to explain to you? It's kind of a long story and I need to take a bath," Keiko said.

"Fine, I'll be there in thirty minutes," Botan replied, hanging the phone up.

Thirty minutes later...

Keiko held back her laughter at the shocked look on her best friend's face, her light blue hair making it funnier. "So yeah that's basically what happened last night and this morning," Keiko said, sipping her tea.

"You were attacked, saved by a hunky guy-"

"I did not say hunky!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Oh please the look on your face said it all," Botan replied, waving off her friend's comment. "Taken back to his place, given medical attention, threatened at knife point and then you just had breakfast with them?" she said incredulously.

"Yeah basically," Keiko said, aware of how crazy the story sounded.

"Are you alright?" Botan said worriedly. "Did this Yusuke guy take care of you?"

"Yeah, he was a good protector," Keiko replied, a smile on her lips. "Yusuke is a good guy, little rough around the edges but he's good."

"So are you gonna see him again?" Botan asked. Now that she knew her best friend was perfectly fine, she wanted to know about these guys she spoke about. "You seem to like him a lot."

"I…I don't know," Keiko said softly. "I don't even know where he lives or anything; I just know it's somewhere in Tokyo which really doesn't narrow it down. I hope I'll see him again but I'll have to be lucky to run into him again."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Black Dragon Gang apartment...

"There is exactly one bakery in the area owned by a Keiko Yukimura," Kurama said, turning the screen toward Yusuke.

"You're the best Kurama," Yusuke said, his eyes scanning over the address of her bakery. "Holy shit she was walking 15 blocks home at midnight! Is that chick insane?" Yusuke said, shaking his head. 'Obviously she doesn't understand self-preservation.'

"You gonna go see Keiko, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked from his position on the couch. Yusuke remained silent, unsure what the answer to that question was. Did he wanna go see her? Yes. Should he go see her? He wasn't too sure.

"You should go see her Yusuke, " Yukina said as she walked out of the kitchen, a plate of food in her hands. "But you should wait a day or two."

"Yeah you don't wanna seem too desperate," Kuwabara teased.

Yusuke threw a book at Kuwabara, hitting him in the back of the head. "I don't know what you see in him Yukina," Yusuke said as he watched Kuwabara fall off the couch.

* * *

Who wants Yusuke to go see Keiko? Reviews please


	7. Patience Rewarded

Keiko sighed as she looked up to see yet another normal customer walk into her store. She should be happy that her bakery was getting so many customers, but she always felt a little disappointed when she looked up and saw it wasn't him standing in the doorway. It had been a week since Yusuke had saved her from the attack and she hadn't seen or heard from him since. _'What do you expect Keiko; it wasn't like we went out on a date, he saved my life but I shouldn't expect to see him again. I don't know where he lives, we don't have each other's numbers, why do I keep looking for him?'_

But she still couldn't resist the urge to look up as the door opened again, hiding the disappointment when it was simply another customer. "Hello, welcome to my bakery. How can I help you?" Keiko asked with a smile.

The woman standing before removed her sunglasses, looking into the food showcase. "Can I have a dozen of those cupcakes? Four vanilla, four chocolate, and four red velvet."

"Of course miss," Keiko replied as she opened an empty cardboard box.

The woman laughed, "I'm too old to be called miss; I've got a son around your age. Just call me Atsuko."

"Alright Atsuko, that'll be 1,700 yen." Keiko looked up quickly as she heard the bell above the door chime.

"Looking for a boy?" Atsuko asked with a smile, handing over her money.

"Actually yes," Keiko replied.

"Well don't worry about it; a pretty thing like you, the guy is gonna come find you," Atsuko said as she walked to the door, cupcake box in hand.

"Have a nice day," Keiko called after her._ 'She's right; if Yusuke wants to see me, he'll come.'_

* * *

Later that night...

_'Okay Urameshi, just get out of the car and get in there,' _he thought. He had been sitting in his car for 10 minutes trying to work up the courage to get up and go into Keiko's bakery. _'Figures, I'm not afraid of fighting people twice my size but I'm scared of this tiny girl that the wind could blow away.'_ He had been fighting with himself for the past week, debating if he should go see her. Part of him wanted to see her hours after he dropped her home, but the other part of him wanted to keep her safe from his lifestyle. In the end the former part of him prevailed, which resulted in him parking a block away from the bakery.

'_Get off your ass Urameshi,'_ Yusuke thought, getting out of his car. Although it was only a little after 8, the streets were already dark, the streetlights overhead providing the only illumination. He looked through the glass door of the bakery, watching Keiko's profile as she tucked cardboard boxes away. _'Wow,'_ he thought as he watched her light brown hair fall forward in front of her eyes. Yusuke pushed the door open, his heart pounding as the bell chimed over the door.

"Welcome to my bakery," Keiko said. "How, oh Yusuke!" Keiko exclaimed as she looked up to see him. Yusuke felt his heart jump as Keiko looked at him, a beautiful smile stretching across her face. He didn't realize until that moment how much he had actually missed her.

Keiko felt the smile stretch across her lips as she looked at Yusuke standing inside of her bakery. _'Of course he would show up the moment I stopped watching the door,'_ she thought. "How have you been?" she asked.

"I'm good. I was passing by and I saw the bakery so I thought I'd stop in for something," he lied. "How've you been?"

"I'm okay," she answered, neglecting to tell him about the dreams that bothered her sleep some nights. "So what would you like? It's my treat."

"Oh you don't have to treat me to anything Keiko," Yusuke said hastily.

"I insist; a batch of pancakes aren't enough to thank the man who saved me," Keiko said smiling.

"Obviously you don't know how good you pancakes are," Yusuke muttered. "What do you suggest then? I don't really know what I want."

"You came in and don't know what you want?" Keiko asked, giving him a strange look. Well then if you don't know what you want then I'll send you home with a little bit of everything: a few cupcakes, some cookies and a few slices of cake," Keiko said, opening a large box.

"That's a lotta stuff," Yusuke replied, watching as she took out the sweets, piling them into the box. He had to admit her food looked delicious.

"Well you do live in a house full of men; I think the more food the better. I'll even customize the cupcakes," she said happily, picking up a bag of icing. "Let's see, I'll put an H on the lemon sponge cupcake, a K on the red velvet. That one's for Kurama, another K for Kuwabara; I'll make that one a chocolate cupcake. Is Yukina at the apartment?" Keiko asked.

"Yeah she should be getting off her shift now," Yusuke said, looking down at his watch.

"Then I'll put a strawberry cupcake in for Yukina and a vanilla for you. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Yusuke replied. He watched, mesmerized, as Keiko quickly iced the cupcakes and packed them into the box, tying it closed with string. She was graceful in her movements, happiness shining on her face. This is where Keiko was comfortable, this was her element.

"Here you are Yusuke," she said, handing him the box.

"Hey Keiko are you doing anything tonight?" Yusuke replied, taking the plunge as his heart sped up in his chest.

"I just have to close up in a few minutes, but after that I don't have anything to do; why?" Keiko replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wanna go get some dinner with me?" Yusuke asked, his palms sweating slightly.

* * *

*dramatic music* what will Keiko sayy? Reviews please


	8. Dinner and Danger

Keiko felt her face heat as she heard Yusuke's words echo through her mind. _"Wanna go get some dinner with me?"_ Keiko thought she would burst with happiness at his request. She was a little sad the time between them was going to end, but now she was overjoyed. _'He asked me out, he asked me out, he asked me out!'_ she chanted happily in her mind. On the outside she appeared calm and relaxed but on the inside she was ricocheting off the walls. _'Gotta play it cool, don't wanna freak him out,'_ she thought. "I'd love to go out with you Yusuke," she said happily. "Just gimme a few minutes to close up everything and we can go."

Yusuke watched Keiko bustle around the store, packing the baked goods into the fridge, closing the curtains on the window. He had been worried when he first asked her to dinner; she paused for a moment longer than he would have liked. But the genuine smile that spread across her face when she said yes instantly put him at ease. Now he was stuck racking his brain for a place to take her out. Neither of them were dressed for a particularly fancy restaurant. "Keiko, where do you wanna go eat?"

"Anywhere you wanna go is fine," Keiko answered from the back room. She was hurriedly brushing her hair in front of a small mirror she had hung on the wall, dusting off the little bit of flour that was on her cheeks. _'God if I knew he was gonna come today I woulda worn something different,'_ she thought, looking down at her plain jeans and white top. _'Oh well, can't have everything.'_ "Okay, I'm ready," Keiko said, walking out of the back room.

"Great, let's go," Yusuke said, opening the door for her.

After driving around for 15 minutes, unable to decide on where to go, Keiko and Yusuke ended up at a small ramen restaurant close to Keiko's best friend, Botan's house. "This place is cute," Keiko said as they walked in. The restaurant was empty on that weeknight, which they both preferred, finally getting time together.

"We're lucky we even found somewhere to eat; otherwise we woulda ended up not having dinner," Yusuke laughed as they sat at the counter, eyes running over the menu.

"Well if that was the case we woulda just gone back to my place and I woulda made us dinner," Keiko replied, surprised by her own boldness.

"Really now?" Yusuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, why not? I've already been at your apartment, I've even met your friends."

"We'll do that next time then," Yusuke said.

Keiko smiled at Yusuke's mention of next time; excited she'll get to see him again. "You can choose what you wanna eat, I'll cook for you," she replied as they ordered their food. "So tell me about yourself Yusuke."

"What's there to tell?" he asked.

"I don't know; isn't this how you get to know someone, you ask them about themselves."

"Yeah but you didn't really ask me anything," Yusuke said, smirking.

"Okay, tell me about your family," Keiko said, rolling her eyes at him. "And are you always this difficult for no reason?"

"I'm usually this difficult actually," Yusuke said nonchalantly.

"You weren't like this the first time I met you," Keiko countered.

"The first time I met you you had just been attacked by a group of men; I figured if I was ever gonna use my manners that was the time," he said with a shrug.

"Good point," Keiko muttered, purposely ignoring Yusuke's smirk. "So tell me about your family."

And so Yusuke and Keiko passed the evening, eating and laughing and getting to know each other. Keiko got to see more of Yusuke's stubborn, difficult nature as they got to know each other better and Yusuke began to learn Keiko wouldn't take his comments lying down, firing back with just as sharp of a tongue. A mild argument erupted as they were handed the bill, both of them insisting they would pay for dinner. Yusuke won as he got up, handing the waiter his credit card for the bill.

"Give it up Keiko; I've been taking care of myself since I was 14. I'm not gonna let you pay for me. You can cook for me, but not pay for me," Yusuke said as he tucked his credit card back into his wallet.

"You're such a jerk," Keiko said without heat, tossing a napkin at his face. "I'm gonna pay next time we have dinner."

"So eager to go out with me again?" Yusuke said, laughing as he watched the blush creep into her cheeks. "Why Keiko I didn't know you liked me so much."

Keiko shook her head, getting up from the table. "You really are something else," Keiko said as she walked out of the restaurant.

"Come again!" the waiter said as Yusuke followed Keiko out.

"You can count on it," Yusuke replied as he walked out. "Come on Keiko wait up," Yusuke said, grabbing her hand gently to stop her. "You aren't really upset are you?"

"Nah I just like jerking your chain," Keiko laughed, interlacing her fingers with his.

Yusuke shook his head, looking at her. "You're something else Keiko," he said softly, his fingers brushing against her wrist. He leaned his head down slowly, trying to gauge Keiko's reaction. As she stretched up toward him, he smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into a heated kiss.

* * *

"Karasu, what have you learned about Urameshi and his people?" Toguro asked as he leaned back in his chair, the elder Toguro sitting on the windowsill behind him.

"There are four people that make up Urameshi's squad, including him. First there's Kurama," he said, sliding a picture across the desk. "Age 23, he's the researcher of the group. I believe he's the person who finds out about our shipments. He's the only child of a single mother who lives outside of Tokyo."

"That may be something we can exploit," elder Toguro said.

"Next is Hiei, very violent, has a few priors. He's small but he's extremely strong."

"Any weak points?" Toguro asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Just one, his twin sister, Yukina. She happens to be dating another member of the Black Dragon gang so she tends to be in their apartment. Which leads to the next person. Kuwabara. From what I can tell, he seems to be an idiot-"

"Looks can be deceiving Karasu," Younger Toguro said.

"Maybe. He's loyal as a dog to Urameshi and his people and quite protective of his girlfriend. He also has an older sister who doesn't live with him. Finally there's Urameshi. Tough as nails, strong as hell. Not a brilliant strategist but he's willing to put his neck out there for a plan."

"Yes, recklessness can be dangerous," Older Toguro said.

"The only people he associates with outside of his group is his mother and a new girl I've seen him with; her name is Keiko Yukimura."

"Do some research on Ms. Yukimura; we may pay her a visit," Younger Toguro said, putting out his cigarette.

* * *

*Dramatic music* What does Toguro plan to do with Keiko? Will Keiko and Yusuke's relationship be smooth sailing? Stay tuned to find out & Review pleasee


	9. Getting Close to Her

"Yusuke, you know you can't hide your lifestyle from Keiko forever. She'll find out eventually," Kurama said wisely.

"I know," Yusuke sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He had been dating Keiko for almost 3 weeks and things were great. He couldn't remember being happier about life. But the secret he was keeping from her, and it was a big secret, nagged at him, lingering in the back of his mind everytime he saw Keiko. He wanted to tell Keiko, but how do you tell someone that you're the Southern leader of the Black Dragon gang and not only do you command your closest friends on missions but also 100 other people? _'Not exactly dinner time conversation,' _he thought wryly, wanting to band his head against the surface of the coffee table. His lifestyle was dangerous and the last thing he wanted was to put her in harms way, for her to constantly be looking over her shoulder. Just because people were after him didn't mean they should be after her.

"Come on, you gotta be honest with her. You don't want her finding out from someone else and having her break up with you, do ya?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke felt his heart accelerate at the thought of losing Keiko. In his screwed up world of ruining the Red Demon gang's drug shipments to be sent to Northern Tokyo, beating up people when needed, and occasionally killing people when it couldn't be avoided, Keiko was the one good, pure thing in his life, the only thing that hadn't been tainted by the gang life. She was sweet and kind; she didn't question when he showed up at her apartment late at night, claiming a horrible headache when it was only a bad night with the gang. She'd just put his head on her lap and stroke his hair, giving him a chance to really relax. She was smart and beautiful and clever and everything he could ever want in a girlfriend. He didn't want to lose her.

"Didn't see already invite you over to her place to have dinner?" Kuwabara asked, pulling Yusuke from his thoughts. Yusuke smirked at the memory of dinner with Keiko.

_Flashback_

Yusuke watched as Keiko prepared dinner, his eyes firmly fixed to her butt as he sat at her table. 'Yoga pants, god's gift to mankind,' he thought smirking.

"I can't believe you wanted spaghetti and meatballs for dinner," Keiko laughed, turning toward him.

His eyes drank in the look of her, getting up from his seat. He had seen her all dress up to go out to dinner together and he thought she would make his heart stop. But the sight of her in yoga pants and a t-shirt, hair tied up and no make-up on, she made him feel like his heart was melting into a puddle of goo. "We live in Japan, not Italy. Sometimes a guy just wants some pasta. And my girlfriend is the best cook," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

"I'm a great baker, but only an okay cook," Keiko said, placing her hands on his shoulders as he leaned down to kiss her. The short, sweet kisses grew longer and more passion filled, pausing only for Yusuke to turn off the fire on the stove and life Keiko only the counter, standing between her legs.

Dinner was late.

_Flashback ends_

"Yeah I've been over to Keiko's place a few times," Yusuke replied.

"And she lets you stay pretty late too," Kuwabara said, elbowing Yusuke gently in the ribs while winking.

"You can save your winks for someone else; it isn't even like that," Yusuke said, pushing Kuwabara away. "Keiko deserves better than that; we're gonna take things slow."

"Didn't you meet her best friend too?" Kurama asked.

"Ugh, yeah I did," Yusuke said, shaking his head. "She's insane."

_Flashback _

"You sure I can't steal you away for a few hours?" Yusuke said as he stood in front of the bakery counter.

"I would love to Yusuke, but I don't have anyone who can watch the bakery for me," Keiko replied, handing a customer her order. "Thanks for coming, stop by again," she called to the customer as they walked out. "I'm really sorry."

"Keiko," a young lady called as she walked into the bakery.

Yusuke choked down a cough as the girl walked in, her light blue hair catching his eye_. 'What the hell happened to her head,'_ Yusuke thought, trying not to snicker.

"So Keiko, has your rescuer shown up yet or not?" the blue-haired girl asked. Keiko blushed as Yusuke leaned against the wall, smiling at her.

"Actually Botan, last night-"

"If he never shows up, " Botan said, interrupting her and gesturing for her to come closer, "you could always go out with the cutie in the corner. Now he is good looking."

"Botan, I _am_ going out with him," Keiko said, laughing, as Botan turned red with embarrassment. "Yusuke, can you come here for a second?" Yusuke approached the counter, standing next to Keiko's friend. "Yusuke, this is my best friend, Botan. I've known her for years. And Botan, this is Yusuke. He's the guy who saved me; we went out for dinner last night."

"And you didn't tell me!" Botan exclaimed.

"I didn't have time to," Keiko said sheepishly. "I was gonna call you tonight."

"Well then it's a good thing I decided to stop by and visit you," Botan said nodding. She turned toward Yusuke, her eyes quickly looking him up and down before she smiled with approval. "It's very nice to meet you Yusuke," she said, shaking his hand quickly. "What brings you here today? Oh silly me, of course you're here to see Keiko."

"Yeah I was gonna take her out to lunch, but she can't leave the bakery empty," Yusuke replied.

"Nonsense. Keiko, you go out to lunch with Yusuke; I'll look after the shop for you," Botan said decidedly, walking behind the counter.

"Botan, I couldn't-"

"Keiko Yukimura, I won't take no for an answer," she said, gently pushing her best friend out from behind the counter. "Just let me know if he has any cute friends," she said, laughing.

"Thanks a lot Botan," Yusuke said, putting an arm around Keiko's shoulder. "I owe you one."

"Just make sure you take good care of Keiko," Botan said as they walked out the door.

_Flashback ends_

"Yusuke, Keiko's bring you into her life. You gotta bring her into yours, all of your life, not just part," Kurama said.

"Listen to him Urameshi; he's the smart one of the bunch," Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke knew he had to tell Keiko; he just didn't know how. _'Crap, I have a feeling this is gonna go badly.'_

* * *

Will Yusuke tell Keiko? Will someone else beat him to it? Or will the gang life simply sneak up on her? Reviews please


	10. Home for the evening

Keiko rolled into her side, her eyes automatically going to the clock on her nightstand. _'3:14, it's so late,'_ she thought clutching her stuffed animal to her chest. "Puu," the stuffed animal said as she squeezed it, causing her to smile. Yusuke had won it the night they all went to the fair.

"That thing looks like an animal kingdom reject," Yusuke had laughed as she pointed out the prize she wanted him to win.

"It is not a reject; it's unique," she replied, taking in its dark blue color, its long floppy ears, its little yellow beak, and the tufts of hair on top of its head. "Anyway, blue is my favorite color," she said, laughing with Yusuke as the stuffed toy said "puu".

Keiko looked at the clock again. 3:20_. 'Kami why is this night dragging along?'_ Keiko knew exactly why the night seemed endless. Yusuke was on another bodyguard mission that night. After dating for almost 6 weeks, Keiko had grown used to his unpredictable schedule. He usually wasn't gone for more than a day or two, but she still worried over him. After all his life was in danger as long as he was protecting someone else. _'Don't stress Keiko; Yusuke said he would text you when he gets home. Just go to sleep and stop worrying already,'_ she told herself to no avail. She lay in bed for a few more minutes before a sudden knock at the door startled her. She got up from her bed, grabbing her baseball bat as she padded through her apartment to the front door.

She sighed with relief as she checked the door's peep-hole, rushing to unlock the door. "Yusuke," Keiko said breathlessly, overjoyed to see him perfectly fine. _'Well almost fine,'_ she thought as she looked at the band-aid on his cheek.

"Did I wake you?" Yusuke asked, pulling her close and resting his chin on top of her head.

"No I was awake already," Keiko replied, wrapping her arms around his strong body. Keiko inhaled his scent deeply; she had never been able to explain what he smelled like but he was absolutely addicting to her.

"What are you doing up so late" Yusuke asked his brow furrowed. "It's three in the morning."

"I was worried about you," she replied, yawning. Now that Yusuke was with her exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave.

"I told you not to worry about me," Yusuke said softly, rubbing her back. He didn't want her to lose sleep needlessly worrying about him, but it was nice to know she cared about him.

"Are you okay?" Keiko asked, looking up at him.

As Yusuke looked down into her big brown eyes, he wanted to tell her everything, that he wasn't okay. That he and his friends, all members of the Black Dragon gang, had gotten into a huge fight with their rivals, the Red Demon, when they tried to intercept a shipment of money. That he would have been shot tonight if it wasn't for Kurama's quick thinking. That even though they managed to get the money, they were all a little worse for wear. That even though he had gone home for Yukina to bandage him up, he still wanted to come see her. That when the gun was pointed at him, the only part of his life that flashed before his eyes were the parts with her in it.

But he couldn't tell her that, at least not now. "Yeah I'm fine," he replied, kissing her forehead gently. "Just tired."

Keiko nodded, slipping her hand into his. "Come on, let's go to bed," she said, tugging him toward her room. Yusuke's eyes widened as he let her pull him along, wondering exactly what was on his girlfriend's mind. "But don't get any ideas Yusuke. We are going to sleep, _only_ sleep," she said, looking at him seriously as they entered her room.

"What, I didn't say anything," Yusuke replied, looking around her room.

"But you were thinking it," she countered.

'_Can't argue there,'_ Yusuke thought. He smirked as he noticed the weird stuffed animal he had won her lying on her bed. He followed suit, taking off his shirt before he lay down next to Keiko.

She moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest as she tugged the blanket over them. Her hand brushed carefully over the faint bruises on his stomach. "Sure you're okay?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, those are nothing," he replied, kissing her head. "Just go to sleep." Keiko nodded, wrapping an arm around him and falling asleep quickly.

Yusuke looked down at his girlfriend sleeping peacefully, brushing her hair away from her face._ 'She looks so happy,' _he thought, looking at the small smile that adorned her face. He knew he had a few options to choose from when it came to Keiko. First option was to break up with Keiko and never see her again, permanently protecting her from his life. The thought made Yusuke's heart clench, causing him to pull Keiko closer. The second option was to continue lying to her and hope she would never find out about his life. He knew that could only be a temporary solution. Keiko was a smart girl; she would find out eventually and when she did, she would be angry. And possibly break up with him. _'That wouldn't be good,'_ he thought. Keiko might be small, but she could pack a punch. That left him with his final option: to tell her the truth and hope for the best. He resisted the urge to groan; he knew telling her wouldn't be easy, but he didn't have a lot of options to work with. Matter of fact he didn't have any other options period. _'Damnit, why don't any of these options end with me keeping Keiko,' _he thought, rubbing his eyes sleepily. _'I'll tell her later tonight; we'll have dinner together…and I'll tell her.'_

* * *

Yusuke wants to tell Keiko the truth but how will she take it? Reviews please


	11. Beat you to it

Kuwabara looked at Yusuke sitting still on the couch, his eyes staring off into the distance. "Hey Kurama, what's wrong with Urameshi?" he asked.

"It seems like Yusuke has finally realized that he must tell Keiko the truth and he's trying to figure out the best way to tell her about the Black Dragons," Kurama said, his expression slightly worried; even he couldn't see a way for Yusuke to tell Keiko without it ending badly.

"Good luck Urameshi," Kuwabara said sincerely. "I'm glad me and Yukina don't have that problem. Honesty is always important in a relationship."

"Oh please," Yusuke said, his eyes finally focusing on his two friends sitting across from him. "You didn't neeed to tell Yukina because she already knew about the Black Dragons from Hiei and I'm pretty sure he didn't wanna tell Yukina about everything either." As if on cue, Hiei walked out of his room and into the kitchen. "Hiei, come here a sec."

"What?" Hiei asked coolly.

"If you coulda kept Yukina from knowing about our life and the gang, would you have kept it from her?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes," Hiei replied quickly.

"Told ya," Yusuke said to Kuwabara.

"But the fact is I could ot keep this lifestyle from her. But once I brought her into this, I swore to protect her from anything or anyone that would threaten to harm her. Now if she'd only let me kill that oaf, she'd be fully protected," Hiei said, walking back to the kitchen.

"Who are you calling an oaf you shrimp?" Kuwabara yelled after him.

Yusuke sighed, getting up to pour himself a drink. "Isn't it too early for scotch Yusuke?" Kurama asked. "It's only two in the afternoon."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures Kurama," he replied.

_'And these are indeed desperate times for you,'_ Kurama thought.

* * *

Keiko stood at the bakery counter, daydreaming about that morning. She was thrilled to wake up and find Yusuke sleeping next to her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She couldn't remember being so honestly happy around someone, let alone a guy. Even thought Yusuke had left before they could have breakfast together, she still went about her day with an extra spring in her step. She was on cloud nine. _'Is this what love feels like?'_ she wondered as she began to tidy up the bakery for closing time. She had invited Yusuke over for dinner at 8, giving her just enough time to get home and cook before he arrived.

"Good evening, welcome to my bakery," Keiko said as she heard the bell over her door chime. She took an involuntary step back as she looked at her customer, a wave of terror washing over her. She had no idea who he was but she knew he was nothing but trouble as she took in his long black hair and dark trench coat that covered his body. He was quite tall and though he didn't have bulging muscles, that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. Keiko looked at her phone resting on the counter a few feet away and wondered if there was a covert way for her to reach it.

"Are you Keiko Yukimura?" the man asked, his hand going into his coat. _'What if he has a gun?' _Keiko thought frantically. _'What does he want with me? How does he even know who I am?'_

"I said are you Keiko Yukimura?" the man asked impatiently. Keiko nodded, her voice paralyzed. "Good. I am Karasu of the Red Demon gang." The man smiled coldly, making Keiko's blood run cold. She took another step back, wondering what a gang member was doing in her shop and what he wanted with her.

"W-what do you want?" Keiko asked, her stomach twisted with fear and tension.

"I want you to give your boyfriend, Yusuke Urameshi of the Black Dragon gang a message for me," the man answered.

"You must be mistaken. Yusuke isn't in a gang; he's a bodyguard," Keiko said, confused.

"Oh poor girl, has he really not told you?" the man said with false sympathy. "Well maybe these will help," he said, pulling out a manila envelope and handing it to her. "Open it."

Keiko opened the envelope with shaking fingers, pulling out a stack of pictures. _'Yusuke!'_ she thought as she shuffled through the stack of pictures. They were all pictures of Yusuke and his friends, doing various things: fighting, beating people up, taking large boxes of something away. Keiko felt her stomach drop; she knew Yusuke was keeping something from her, but she never thought it could be this.

"You must be wondering why I brought you these pictures. You see the problem is Yusuke and his gang have been intercepting shipments of drugs and money that belong to the Red Demon gang. That has my bosses very upset and they aren't very kind when they're upset. So you tell your boyfriend that he and his friends should stay away from our business and everyone will be okay," Karasu said, walking toward the door. "Have a nice day Ms. Yukimura."

Keiko felt her knees give out as the door closed behind the man, sending her crashing to the floor, the pictures still clutched in her hand. _'Yusuke...you lied to me.'_

* * *

"Keiko," Yusuke called as he knocked on her front door. He got no answer as he stood in front of her door._ 'That's not like her,'_ he thought. She hadn't answered her phone calls or text messages that evening, worrying him. He tried the doorknob, surprised when it opened easily. "Keiko," he called as he walked in. He found her sitting quietly at her kitchen table with a stack of papers in front of her. "Hey Keiko I was calling you, didn't you hear me? And why was your front door unlocked?"

"Yusuke, are you a member of the Black Dragon gang?" Keiko asked quietly.

* * *

*hides as readers pelt her with fruit* i know i know cliffhanger, but don't all the best stories build suspense? And this way you guys will review my story yelling for the next chapter so it works out for us both ^_^


	12. Crushed

"Yusuke, are you a member of the Black Dragon gang?" Keiko asked quietly.

Yusuke froze, his mind trying to figure out how she knew. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this," she said, getting up from her seat and handing the stack of papers to him.

Yusuke looked down at what she handed him, his eyes widening. They were photographs of the mission he and his team went on the night before. _'What the hell is going on?'_

"A man named Karasu came into my bakery an hour ago, saying that he was a member of the Red Demon gang and you were a member of the Black Dragon gang. And he handed me these pictures. Are you a member of the Black Dragon gang?" she asked again, her voice emotionless.

Yusuke swallowed worriedly; this was not the way he wanted her to find out. "Yes, I am," he replied, softly.

Keiko took a step back, her arms wrapping around herself. "How could you?" she said softly. "How could you lie to me Yusuke?"

"Keiko, I didn't mean to," he said, taking a step forward.

"How can you even say that!" she shouted, her emotional dam breaking. "You told me when I first met you that you were a bodyguard."

"When I first met you I didn't think I was gonna ever see you again," Yusuke replied.

"And after Yusuke? In the six weeks we've been dating it never occurred to you to tell me that you were a gang member," she said, her words flowing with anger and hurt. "Never thought to say, 'Oh hey by the way Keiko, I'm actually a Black Dragon gang member, not a bodyguard.' What, was I not worth knowing the truth?"

"No Keiko, that's not it at all, I-"

"Did you think I was stupid?" Keiko said, interrupting him as she backed into her table. "Did you think I would never find out?"

"You're not stupid Keiko; I was coming to tell you tonight," Yusuke said desperately. Everything that he feared about telling her was coming true. He had taken too long and someone had beaten him to it.

"How am I supposed to believe you!" she shouted, her eyes filling with angry tears. "How do I know this isn't just another lie you're telling me?"

"Come on Keiko, you know me."

"Do I really know you Yusuke? I thought I did, but obviously I was wrong," she said, running her fingers through her hair in attempt to calm her rising emotions. "I guess I was wrong about you."

"Keiko, I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean for you to find out this way," Yusuke said, taking another step toward her.

"You didn't mean to hurt me Yusuke? You lied to me for _six_ weeks! How else am I supposed to feel about you? I cared about you Yusuke, I lov-," Keiko paused, a sob catching in her throat.

Yusuke felt as if his heart was being torn out of his chest at Keiko's words. Her words cut him like razors, which was what he deserved for lying to her, for hurting her this way. But when she almost said she loved him he thought his heart might shatter. "Keiko, I'm really sorry," Yusuke said, taking one final step toward her.

"Stay away from me Yusuke," she said, putting her hands up as her voice cracked. "You know what? I really am stupid. I believed you and I trusted you and I cared about you and all you did was lie to me. You lied to me the entire time when I was being honest with you and I put my trust in you. I thought you were someone special Yusuke."

"Keiko, I-"

"Get out Yusuke," she said, a single tear running down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

"Please Keiko, just hear me out," Yusuke pleaded.

"No, I don't wanna hear anything you have to say. I want you to go and leave me alone. I never wanna see you again," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I said get out!" she shouted as she looked at him still standing before her.

Yusuke felt as if he was rooted to the spot as Keiko yelled at him to leave. He felt as if someone had taken a hammer to his heart, shattering it into a million sharp pieces and he knew Keiko felt the same exact way at the moment. He took one last look at Keiko, her eyes filled with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed with color. "I really am sorry Keiko," he said softly, as he turned to go. "I never meant to hurt you."

Keiko collapsed onto her knees as Yusuke closed the door behind him, her heart pouring out all the emotion she had withheld while he was there. She felt broken, not only her heart but her whole body was in pain. She realized now that she did fall in love with Yusuke in the six short weeks she had been with him, but he had broken her heart so badly. She sat there on her cold kitchen floor, sobbing until she was sure she would simply die of dehydration right there. Now she understood why people called it heartbreak. It really did feel like your heart was broken into tiny pieces.

Yusuke wanted to smash his head against the wall as he hear Keiko sob as the door shut behind him. He had ruined everything between them by lying to her. The relationship they had together, the growing love they shared, everything they shared was now gone within the blink of an eye. _'Way to go Urameshi,'_ he thought as he walked out of the apartment building. _'You managed to screw up the one thing that was good in your life.'_

* * *

"Did you deliver the pictures to Ms. Yukimura?" Toguro asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, I hand delivered them to her a few hours ago," Karasu replied.

"Very good; the first move to dispose of the Urameshi team is completed," Elder Toguro said. "Soon we'll get rid of them all."

* * *

What are the Toguros planning? Will Keiko and Yusuke be able to reconcile or will they be forever estranged? Reviews please


	13. Everybody hurts sometimes

Hello readers! So i was on the train today listening to my ipod and i thought of a song that would go perfectly with how Yusuke feels in this chapter. It's called "Won't Go Home Without You" by Maroon 5. Give it a listen.

* * *

Yusuke slammed the apartment door as he walked in, resisting the urge to just rip it off its hinges. The pain he felt in his heart made him want to destroy everything in sight: he wanted to smash the glass entrance door of Keiko's apartment, he wanted to rip his steering wheel apart, when some guy cut him off in traffic, he wanted to pull him through his driver's window and beat the guy into a bloody pulp. He ignored his friends' stares as he stalked through the living room to the liquor cabinet, anger radiating off of him in waves.

His friends were watching television as Yusuke came in, the sound of the slamming door indicating things had not gone well at all between him and Keiko. They glanced at one another, unsure of what to do. The only thing they knew absolutely not to do was to ask Yusuke what happened. When he felt like talking he would tell them what happened, but judging by the gulp of whiskey he took straight from the bottle, it wasn't going to be tonight. Kurama was the first person to make a move, getting up from his seat and going to the liquor cabinet Yusuke was leaning next to.

"You know you shouldn't drink alone Yusuke," Kurama said, taking out a bottle of sake and two cups before going back to his seat on the couch. He poured two drinks, one for himself and one for Hiei, before setting the bottle on the table. Kuwabara followed suit, snatching the bottle of whiskey out of Yusuke's hand to pour a drink, and quickly placing it back in his hand before he was punched in the face for taking the liquor from Yusuke.

Yukina sat on the couch drinking her tea and looking worriedly at Yusuke. He had become another big brother to her, just as protective as Hiei was, but not as serious, always making jokes and laughing. It broke her heart to see him in such pain, leaning against the wall as he drank straight from the bottle. She knew all of that liquor wasn't gonna make anything better; as a matter of fact it was gonna make him feel a whole lot worse in the morning when he had a hangover. But she knew now wasn't the time for her to lecture him on the dangers of alcohol and the horrible things it does to the human body. Now was the time to keep him company, just to let him know he wasn't alone. Although Yusuke had put on a cool, veiled mask, Yukina could tell he was truly heartbroken and that was enough to make a person reach for a liquor bottle.

Kuwabara and Kurama struggled to carry an unconscious Yusuke to his bedroom, Kurama holding his arms while Kuwabara held his legs. Yusuke had managed to drink an entire bottle of whiskey by himself, a feat that worried Yukina immensely. He had slowly slid down the wall as the hours passed by and the liquor bottle slowly drained, finally sitting on the floor before he passed out an hour later.

"Things musta gone really bad," Kuwabara said to Kurama as they finally placed Yusuke on his bed.

"Yes, I suspected as much," Kurama said worriedly. "I didn't think it could have gone this badly though. I wonder what happened."

"Yeah I don't think Urameshi will be telling us anytime soon," Kuwabara replied, walking out of his bedroom.

* * *

Botan wished Yusuke a painful death that sent him to the worst pit of hell as she tried to console her crying best friend. Keiko had called her over that morning, her words barely distinguishable through her crying. All Botan really managed to understand was her saying come over and that was enough for her to get into her car and speed over to Keiko's. When she arrived she had told Botan the entire story, about the scary Red Demon gang member who had shown up at her bakery, about the pictures he had of Yusuke and his friends, about the argument she had with Yusuke last night that finally ended in her breaking up with him. At the end of her recollection Keiko was a shaking, sobbing mess, her heart absolutely crushed.

Keiko could barely focus on her best friend sitting on the couch next to her, trying to comfort her as much as she could. It was better than last night for her. She had spent a vast majority of the night crying, her Puu stuffed animal clutched against her chest as she wept and was torn between holding it tighter against her chest and throwing it across the room. She knew she should get rid of it; anything that reminded her of Yusuke would just make her heart ache so much worse, but she couldn't throw it away. Even if Yusuke had broken her heart into a thousand jagged pieces, she still loved him and those feelings couldn't go away overnight no matter how much she wished she could.

Keiko finally pulled herself together, sitting up properly on the couch as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. _'Pull yourself together Keiko. You've never been a blubbering mess of a girl; why in Kami's name are you starting now?'_ she thought. She took a few deep breaths, trying to gain a hold on the crushing sadness she felt.

"Are you alright?" Botan asked cautiously.

Keiko nodded; the movement making her head ache. She always got a headache after a crying session. "Kind of," she replied, clearing her throat in an attempt to keep it from sounding so hoarse. "I'm gonna go take a warm shower; could you put on a pot of coffee for me please Botan?"

"Of course, not a problem," Botan replied cheerfully.

"Thanks a lot Botan; you're a great friend," Keiko said, managing a weak smile before she got up and walked to her bathroom._ 'Poor Keiko,' _Botan thought as she watched her best friend walk away.

* * *

"Why did you have me send those pictures?" Karasu asked the younger Toguro.

"Do you recall when I told you every person has a weakness?" Toguro asked as Karasu nodded. "We're going to exploit every weakness the Urameshi team has. Personal relationships are a dangerous weakness and we're going to teach them that. Right now Urameshi is probably suffering from heartbreak and that will make him careless. That's when we make our move. We just need to weaken the others."

* * *

Yusuke felt as if someone was playing the bongos on his head as he slowly woke up. _'What the hell,' _he thought as he opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. It took him a moment to realize he was sleeping in his bedroom, not on the living room floor. _'The guys musta brought me in.'_ He rolled onto his side, immediately regretting the action as his head throbbed more. His eyes locked onto the cup of water sitting on his nightstand_. 'Yukina probably brought it in.'_ He sat up slowly, drinking the water slowly. He looked at the object that sat behind the glass, feeling as if salt was being rubbed into his broken heart. A frame containing a picture of him and Keiko stared back at him, Keiko smiling as Yusuke had wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Yusuke flipped the frame facedown before he got out of bed, dragging himself to his bathroom.

* * *

What's gonna happen to our favorite couple that's not currently a couple? Who are the Red Demons gonna go after next? Is anyone safe? Why am i asking these questions? Cause i love to hear from my readers. Review please


	14. Getting Advice and a Favor Repaid

"Sakyo," Toguro said as the phone was finally answered.

"Toguro, how good to hear from you," Sakyo replied as his maid lit his cigarette. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Do you recall the trouble I managed to help you with in Eastern Tokyo? I've come to collect my favor," Toguro said, smiling evilly.

"That sounds interesting," he replied. "What would you like me to do?"

* * *

A month had passed since Keiko and Yusuke had seen each other, since the explosion of their relationship. The time had changed both of them, worrying their respective friends. Yusuke had thrown himself into his work, planning more missions against the Red Demons, more ways to stop their business and trying to figure out who Karasu was, who he worked for and why they went after him and Keiko. Even if he was no longer dating her, he felt it was his responsibility to make sure she was safe from the gang war; it was his fault that she was involved with it. The missions had gotten a bit more dangers, his bruises a testament to it. He wasn't being careless when he fought, but he didn't seem as quick on his feet, he didn't have the same zest for fighting that he had before, which worried his team. If they weren't out on a mission at night, it wasn't unusual to find him up late with a drink. He hadn't drunk as much as he had the night Keiko had broken up with him. He would only have one glass of scotch; the last thing he wanted was to become a raging alcoholic like his mother used to be. The picture of him and Keiko was moved from his nightstand to the far side of his dresser, as far as possible from his bed. He didn't have the heart to throw it out, but he couldn't stand having it too close to him. He seemed like the same old Yusuke, just a bit numb.

Keiko, for the most part, was doing much better than the night she had broken up with Yusuke. She had thrown herself into her work like he had, waking up early to head to the bakery, staying there much later than she normally did, taking a taxi him. After all Yusuke wouldn't be there to save her again if she were to be attacked; she was on her own. Her tears had stopped flowing as easily as time passed; Botan was constantly around to cheer her up with jokes and her infectious laughter. She had moved Puu from his place on her bed to her dresser; he really was too cute to throw out. Botan had tried to get her to go out with new guys, but she wasn't sure if she was ready yet. Her broken heart still felt like a fresh wound to her and thought it was healing slowly as the days went by, she wasn't sure if a new guy in her life would be a healing balm or salt in the wound. _'Maybe Botan's right; maybe I need someone new in my life,'_ Keiko thought as the bell over her door chimed.

"Welcome to my bakery, how- oh hello again. It was Atsuko right?" Keiko asked, smiling at her customer.

"Hey kiddo, long time no see," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "How's life been?"

"It's been better," Keiko sighed, her thoughts drifiting to Yusuke before she shook her head to clear it quickly.

"Has that guy not shown up yet?" Atsuko asked.

"Oh he showed up," Keiko replied. "He showed up and we dated for a while and then he lied to me and I broke up with him about a month ago." Keiko wasn't sure why she was telling her all of this; she was just a random customer. But sometimes it was good to get an unbiased opinion.

"You broke up with him over one lie?" she asked as she looked at the sweets in the glass showcase.

"It was a pretty big lie," Keiko replied, brushing her bangs from her eyes. "If he could lie about that, how do I know he wasn't lying about anything else?"

"Still like him huh?" Atsuko asked, looking at her.

Keiko nodded; as much as she tried to bury her feelings over the past month, she still cared about him, worried about him. "But he lives such a dangerous life."

"Sounds like my son," she muttered under her breath. "If you really like this guy, you should give him another shot. And if you don't think you can, then you should let him go; date someone else."

"That's what my friend said," Keiko said with a smile. "Anyway enough about me; what would you like?"

"Something sweet for when my hangover finally goes away," Atsuko laughed.

* * *

Sakyo stood outside of the Higurashi Memorial Hospital, slowly working his way through his cigarette as he waited for her to emerge. He looked down at the picture in his hand, memorizing the girl's face. She was pretty enough with her clear, porcelain skin and sweet smile and thought her hair seemed to be the most peculiar shade of sea foam green, it suited her quite well. _'The things I do for the Toguros,'_ he thought, shaking his head. _'Well a favor is a favor. At least it's only delivering packages. Knowing them it could have been worse.' _

Finally she exited the hospital, her hand going up to protect her eyes from the glare cast by the setting sun. Sakyo approached her as she said good-bye to her fellow nurses. "Pardon me, but are you Yukina?" he asked politely.

Yukina turned toward the man, wondering how he knew her name. He didn't seem to be dangerous with his blue eyes and black business suit. The only thing that suggested he might be dangerous was the scar running down the left side of his face. "Yes I am," she replied, tightening her grip on her purse. "

Sakyo smiled at her. "I thought you might be, but I couldn't be sure. I'm an old friend of your parents-"

"My parents?" Yukina asked curiously. Yukina could barely remember her parents; they passed away when she and Hiei were still quite young.

"Yes your parents," he said, reaching into his pocket for an envelope. "Could you please give this to your brother for me? I've tried to find him myself, but I haven't had much luck."

"Of course, but what's in here?" she asked as she took the envelope from him.

"You'll see when he opens it. Have a nice evening Yukina," he said as he walked away_. 'Or not so nice depending on the contents of the envelope.'_

* * *

Will Keiko start dating someone new to heal the ache of her broken heart? What's in the envelope given to Yukina? Reviews please.


	15. Things you don't wanna see

hello readers! so someone pointed out in one of my reviews the name of the hospital "Higurashi Memorial Hospital" Yep as in Kagome Higurashi from inuyasha. I'm not exactly creative with names so you'll see some of the characters from my favorite manga pop up in my story (ie: Inuyasha, Fushigi Yugi, Vampire Knight) just remember i dont own any of the manga so don't sue me please & thank you. happy reading!

-Ninjanervana

* * *

"I'm home," Yukina called as she walked into the apartment.

Kuwabara came rushing out of his room, eager to greet his girlfriend. "Hey baby, how was your day?"

"Very busy Kazuma," she said as she kissed him softly. "Is Hiei home?"

"I think so, not really sure thought," he replied, walking into the living room with her.

"Hey guys," she said, greeting Yusuke and Kurama. "Hiei, can you come here please?"

"Yes Yukina," he said as he walked into the living room. Most people, actually anyone besides Yukina would have gotten an icy response from hin, but Hiei always had a soft spot in his heart for his little sister.

"I have something for you. When I came out of the hospital, a man approached me and-"

"What man?" Hiei asked.

"I don't know who he is. I've never seen him but he said he was a friend of our parents so-"

"Yukina," he said, along a bit of his frustration to leak into his voice as he interrupted her again. "What did I tell you about strange men approaching you?"

"To punch them in the throat, run away, and call you," she said easily, as if it was a response she had used many times. "But he didn't look dangerous. Anyway he said he was looking for you, but he couldn't find you and asked me to give you this," she said, handing him the envelope. He took it from her, wonder more about who was the man who approached his sister and why he was looking for him than what was in the envelope.

He sat on the arm of the chair, opening the envelope and taking out its contents. His eyes widened as he looked down at the pictures, but not pictures of him. They were pictures of Yukina: Yukina walking down the hallway of hospital, a smile on her face, her shopping in the mall with a few of her friends, her waiting outside of the hospital, even one of her walking with him one afternoon. _'Someone's been watching her,'_ he thought angrily.

"Yukina, what did the man who gave you the envelope look like?" he asked angrily, throwing the pictures onto the coffee table. Everyone looked down at the pictures scattered across the table, their expressions varying from shock to outright anger to fear.

"These pictures are like the ones sent to Keiko," Yusuke said, picking up a picture.

Yukina felt her stomach drop in fear as she looked down at the countless pictures of herself. She didn't even know she was being watched. "He-he was tall, as tall as Kazuma and he had long jet black hair; it reached down to his shoulders. He wore a business suit and he had a scar down the side of his face," she said, her voice shaking.

"Don't worry Yukina, I'll look after you," Kuwabara said, pulling her close.

"You'll have to stop working," Hiei said.

"What!" Yukina exclaimed.

"You've been watched Yukina. We don't know who or why, but you're not safe."

"I will not stop working; I do a lot of good work at the hospital," Yukina replied just as stubbornly. They stared at each other for a moment, a silent conversation passing between the twins before Hiei finally looked away.

"Fine, but someone goes with you everywhere," Hiei said.

"Thank you Hiei," she replied happily, throwing her arms around him.

"I think it's clear that someone is targeting our team specifically," Kurama said as he examined the pictures more closely. "Look at this one," he said, showing them the back of a picture of Hiei and Yukina.

"Everyone has a weakness."

"We've got to find this bastard," Yusuke said angrily, his blood boiling.

* * *

Keiko stood nervously in front of the restaurant, playing with the hem of her shirt. After putting it off for a week, she decided to take Botan and Atsuko's advice and go out on a date with someone new. Botan set her up on a blind daye with a family friend of hers. Keiko glanced down at her watch again; he was late, only five minutes late, but late was late_. 'If he's not here in five minutes, I'm leaving,'_ she thought, shifting her weight from one foot to another. _'Yusuke was never late,'_ she thought suddenly. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts even though they were true. No matter how busy Yusuke was, if he told her he would be somewhere at a certain time he would be there.

"Keiko!" an unfamiliar voice called just as she turned to walk away from the restaurant. She turned around to look at the man running toward her. He was taller than her with shoulder length black hair that was tied into a ponytail and slightly tanned skin. He stopped before her, attempting to catch his breath. "Y-you're Keiko, right?"

"Yes, you must be Koga," she replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I'm late. I got caught up at work," he said with an apologetic smile. "Come on, let's go inside."

Keiko sighed as she followed him. Out of all the restaurants in all of Tokyo, Koga had to choose this one, the ramen shop Yusuke had taken her to the first night they went out together._ 'Just my luck,' _she thought.

Keiko and Koga chatted casually as they scanned the menu. "So tell me about yourself," Koga said.

"What do you want me to tell you about?"

"I don't know, tell me about your family," Koga replied. Keiko was struck by the déjà vu of the moment, could it have only been two months ago that she sat there with Yusuke asking him about his life.

Before Keiko could answer, a waiter approached the table to take their orders. "Hello, welcome to the Ramen Hut. My name is Tamahome and I'll be your waiter tonight. Oh hello again," he said as he looked at Keiko. "It's nice to see you again. Where's the guy with the slicked back hair?" he asked, looking at Koga.

"We're not together," Keiko answered, blushing slightly. _'Of course the waiter would remember me and Yusuke.' _

"That's a shame; you guys made a good looking couple. Anyhow what can I get you guys?" he asked. Keiko ordered quickly, glad to have the attention off of her. _'It's gonna be a long night,'_ Keiko thought, repressing a sigh.

* * *

Yusuke walked into the restaurant, his stomach growling loudly. 'Just need some food and I can go home and eat,' he thought as he approached the counter.

Tamahome's eyes widened as he saw Yusuke standing at the counter. "Hey Miaka," he said as he ducked back into the kitchen. "You remember that couple that came here late that night a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, why?" Miaka asked as she dried a plate.

"The girl's here on a date with another guy and the guy from before just walked in," Tamahome said, walking out of the kitchen, Miaka on his heels. "Hey man, what can I get for you?" he asked Yusuke.

"Can I get three orders of beef ramen and a soda," Yusuke replied.

"You got it man. Hey Miaka, tell Tasuki we need 3 orders of beef ramen,: Tamahome said, turning to the girl who stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

Yusuke turned away from Tamahome, leaning his back against the counter when his eyes looked on Keiko having dinner with someone else.

* * *

It's obvious Yusuke and his team are being watched, but what's the Red Demons next move gonna be? How is Yusuke gonna take seeing Keiko on a date? Will Keiko notice him watching her? Reviews please.


	16. Bittersweet

Yusuke felt his blood boil as he watched Keiko laugh at something the man said to her. The stranger leaned forward in his seat, taking one of her hands in both of his. Discomfort flickered across Keiko's face quickly before it was masked by a smile, causing Yusuke to push off from the counter. _'Screw this,'_ he thought as he walked toward the table.

Keiko looked up as a shadow was cast over the table. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the person standing there. _'Yusuke.'_

"Hey Keiko, imagine meeting you here," he said coolly. "Hey man, I'm Yusuke," he told the stranger as he extended his hand.

"I'm Koga; how do you know Keiko?" he asked.

"I'm her ex-boyfriend," he said, smirking as pain passed quickly across the man's face at Yusuke's tight grip. "I actually brought Keiko here the first night I took her out for dinner. Must be a small world."

"Yusuke, let go of Koga's hand," Keiko said sharply, placing her hand on his wrist.

"Anything for you Keiko," Yusuke said, watching as Koga rubbed his hand when it was released. 'What a wuss,' he thought. "Never woulda pictured this kinda guy as your type."

"Hye, your order is read," Tamahome called from the counter.

"Guess I'll see you around Keiko. Good luck with the prettyboy," he said harshly, picking up his order and walking out of the restaurant.

_'That arrogant jerk!'_ Keiko thought, pouring some ice from her empty cup into her hand and rushing out the door after Yusuke.

"I'll put twenty on the girl kicking his ass," Miaka said, peeking out the front door of the restaurant.

"You're on," Tamahome said, smiling at his girlfriend.

Keiko rushed after Yusuke, throwing the handful of ice at the back of his head once he was within range. "Yusuke you jerk! How dare you interrupt us and say those things. What gives you the right to do that?" she shouted angrily.

Yusuke gritted his teeth as he felt something cold hit the back of his head and slide down his shirt. He placed his bag of food on the hood of a parked car and walked back to Keiko. "You know what I said in there was true," Yusuke said as he stood mere inches away from her. He was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to pull her into his arms. "He's not your type."

"Oh really? How exactly would you know that?" Keiko retorted, her face red with anger.

"I saw the uncomfortable look that passed on your face when he held your hand; you didn't want him touching you but you didn't wanna hurt his feelings by pulling away," Yusuke said triumphantly.

"That's because he surprised me, not because I didn't want him to hold my hand," Keiko lied.

"Come on Keiko, you dated me remember? The long hair and soft hands aren't your type. I think you prefer to be the female in the relationship. Koga isn't for you," he said, sneering his name.

"Why you-" Keiko's hand swung out to slap Yusuke, but he caught her hand before she made contact.

Yusuke used his gentle hold on her wrist to tug her forward, almost causing her to trip into him. "You know the entire time you were in there with him you were remembering when we were there, remembering the times you and I shared. Face it, you and him can't compare to what you and I had Keiko." Keiko opened her mouth but no words came out; Yusuke had spoken the truth. "Nothing will ever compare to us," he said, his lips crashing down onto hers.

Keiko's hands gripped Yusuke's shirt tightly, kissing him back for a moment…

before slapping him across the face. "You don't get to kiss me anymore. You're the one who ruined our relationship. You don't get to kiss me or give me opinions on anyone I decide to go out with," Keiko said, holding back tears her voice wavering slightly.

"Whatever you say. You know I still care about you and I know you care about me too. Even if you don't wanna admit it," Yusuke replied, rubbing his cheek. _'Goddamn she's got one hell of a slap.'_ "That kiss was definitely worth getting hit over," he said, turning and walking away from her. "Stay safe Keiko."

Keiko turned away from Yusuke as he began to walk away, wanting to sink down to the concrete and cry angry, frustrated tears. But she couldn't do that; Koga was still waiting inside for her. _'He didn't even bother to come out and check on me,' _she thought.

"So who won?" Miaka whispered to Tamahome as Keiko walked back into the restaurant, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"I don't know, it kinda looks like they both lost," Tamahome replied.

* * *

"So it appears that someone is specifically focusing on our group," Kurama said to Kuwabara and Hiei. "Someone's already targeted Hiei and Yusuke; it's safe to presume that Kuwabara and I will be next."

"Wait, couldn't targeting Yukina be a way of attacking me?" Kuwabara asked.

"They probably don't know you're even important to her. God only knows I wish you weren't important to her," Hiei said.

"Hey shrimp you better watch your mouth," Kuwabara said heatedly.

"Now now settle down children," Kurama said, trying to calm them both. On a regular basis Hiei and Kuwabara didn't get along. Now with Kuwabara was dating Yukina their relationship was strained at best and an unpinned grenade at worst. "We need to focus on the important matters at hand right now; you two can bicker later. I've thought about your point Kuwabara but I think since Yukina was asked to specifically to deliever something to Hiei that's who they were trying to target. Have you spoken to your sister recently?"

"Yeah, I told Shizuru to keep an eye out for any suspicious men or packages," Kuwabara replied. "What about your mom?"

"She's staying with my aunt in Yokohama while she recovers from her last round of chemo," Kurama replied. The main reason Kurama had joined the Black Dragons was to help his adoptive mom pay her medical bills. Finding a group of friends who became family to him was just a bonus. "I'll try to do some research on who might be targeting us; it's probably the Red Demons but that doesn't narrow it down much. For now just keep an eye on Yukina."

"What about Keiko?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's Yusuke's worry, not ours," Hiei replied.

* * *

Yusuke and Keiko seem so close yet so far from each other, will they work it out? How could they possibly get passed all their issues? Will the boys figure out who's targeting them and their loved ones before something happens? Reviews please


	17. Conflicting Emotions and Another Mark

So i got a tattoo today readers :D

* * *

'_Stupid Yusuke,'_ Keiko thought dejectedly as she walked home from the restaurant. After her argument with Yusuke she had forced a smile onto her face and gone back inside to Koga. The evening had ended soon after that and she had politely turned down his offer to drive her home. _'Maybe that wasn't a good idea,' _she thought as she looked over her shoulder for the third time since she began walking home. She wanted time alone to sort out her mind but she felt as if someone was watching her. But whenever she turned around she didn't see anyone; she didn't even glimpse anyone or hear any footsteps. _'I'm just being paranoid,' _she thought, sighing in relief as she arrived at her apartment complex. She kicked off her heels as she walked inside, her feet aching.

Overall the evening hadn't been too bad before Yusuke had shown up. Koga was nice enough, but he was just a little boring. She didn't want to admit it but Yusuke was right; Koga wasn't for her. He wasn't her type, he wasn't what she wanted. But what she wanted she couldn't have anymore. Her kiss with Yusuke proved that she wasn't over him, she still missed him, she still cared about him, she still loved him. And that was the problem. _ 'If you still care about him, you should give him a second chance,'_ Atuko's words echoed through her mind. "But how do i give him a second chance?" she wondered aloud, plopping onto her couch. _'How are we supposed to get past everything? We've been apart for so long.' _Keiko rubbed her forehead as she felt a headache developing. _'Why does everything have to be so hard?' _she thought, walking to her bathroom for a long, relaxing soak in the tub.

Yusuke felt like banging his head against the steering wheel as he sat in his car. _'What were you thinking kissing her like that Urameshi? She's on a date with another guy; she doesn't wanna be with you,'_ he thought._ 'Idiot probably has a legit job at an actual building and shit.' _Yusuke sighed, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. His cheek still ached slightly from the slap she had given him. _'Totally worth it for the kiss.'_ That kiss had been everything he missed about Keiko; it was Keiko embodied. It was soft and it was strong, it was sweet and it was hot. But it was much too short for his liking. _'You got slapped because she doesn't like you anymore Urameshi, get your head outta your ass and face facts.'_ 'But she did kiss you back,' a small, hopeful voice answered back. He knew it was true; for a moment, as short as it was, Keiko clung to him and kissed him back. _'Maybe there is hope,'_ he thought, starting his car.

* * *

A few days later...

"Hey baby bro," Shizuru said as he answered the phone.

"Hey Shizuru, what's going on?" Kuwabara replied, his words garbled by the food in his mouth.

"I really hope Yukina isn't there watching you talk with your mouthful; that's guaranteed to run her off," Shizuru said, grinding out the end of her cigarette. She kept telling herself that she would quit smoking, but it was one of the few constants in her life. She decided she'd quit when she'd have nieces and nephews running around her._ 'Don't need the little ones picking up bad habits,'_ she thought.

"Nah Yukina is working at the hospital right now; I gotta pick her up later," he replied, swallowing his food.

"Remember that package you told me to look out for?"

"Yeah, did someone come to you?" Kuwabara asked, grabbing his jacket and walking to the door.

"Yeah, this guy handed it to me this morning. I think you need to come over and tell me what's going on little brother," Shizuru said.

"I'm leaving now," Kuwabara said, hanging up on her to text the guys. "Shizuru's got a package too"

"So what did the guy look like?" Kuwabara asked his sister. After explaining the situation to Shizuru, and getting a punch from her for not telling her sooner, he had opened the envelope to find a stack of pictures of her_. 'Great,'_ Kuwabara had thought. _'There's no doubt someone is after us.'_

"He was tall, he had black hair that reached down passed his shoulders. He had blue eyes and a scar down the right side of his face. He asked me for a light. He was kinda cute," Shizuru laughed.

"Sis, this is serious," Kuwabara said, wondering how his sister could laugh at this.

"I know Kazuma; I asked him who was sending the envelope and he said that's not for me to say. Why is someone going after you and the guys?" she asked.

"I don't know, Kurama is trying to figure out who it is, but I don't think he has any leads yet. Sis, I think you should go away for a while," Kuwabara said seriously.

"Why?" Shizuru said, exhaling her cigarette smoke.

"It's getting dangerous! We don't know who's sending these pictures or what they want," he exclaimed.

"And I can take care of myself little brother. Or shall I remind you?" she said, cracking her knuckles.

Kuwabara shook his head quickly, leaning away from his sister. Shizuru may not look it, but she had a killer punch. "Just be careful okay?" he said, getting off the couch. "Make sure you lock your doors at night and call me if anything suspicious happens."

"Yes mom," she said sarcastically. "Tell Yukina I said hi and that we gotta go out for lunch one day," she said, opening the door for her brother. Even though dating Kuwabara made Shizuru question Yukina's sanity, she really did like her. Just the right amount of sweetness to balance out her little brother's insanity.

"Will do sis," he said as he left.

* * *

Yusuke and Keiko are working through some tough feelings, how will they get through it? The Toguros are targeting the Urameshi team's loved ones, will they manage to foil their evil plans or will they learn how fragile relationships can be?


	18. Information

"So what do you think we should do?" Kuwabara asked Kurama as he sat at the desk.

"I'm not sure honestly. Your sister makes the third person that's been targeted. It's pretty safe to assume that my mother would be next if she was still in Tokyo," Kurama said.

"I suggest we simply go out and start killing Red Demons until someone answers our questions," Hiei said. "Someone's bound to answer our questions if we get rid of enough people."

"How about we save that plan for last shrimpy?" Kuwabara said. "Do you think we should go to the man at the top?"

"I don't think so, at least not yet. But we could probably benefit from asking her a few questions. She was in charge of the southern district for years; if anyone would have some good advice it would be here," Kurama replied. "Let's just wait till Yusuke gets home and discuss it with him. She did pick him herself."

"Yeah where is Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, looking back and forth between Kurama and Hiei.

* * *

"Now why don't you tell me about Karasu," Yusuke said dangerously, his grip tightening on the man's neck. After finding out Shizuru had received an envelope of pictures, Yusuke decided to do his own kind of research. Kurama was trying his best to dig up information on who was targeting his team, but Yusuke wasn't the type to sit around and wait. Which led him to be in a dark alleyway, his hand clamped around the neck of a Red Demon gang member. After all, what better way to get information than straight from the source.

"W-who's asking?" the man stuttered, struggling to draw a breath as Yusuke slowly crushed his wind pipe.

Yusuke forced himself to loosen his grip slightly; the man was no good to him if he passed out. "Yusuke Urameshi of the Black Dragons." He noticed as the man's eyes widened slightly, fear shining in its black depths. He had to admit, it made him a little smug with pride. "So you've heard of me then. Why don't you just answer my question and we can both go home tonight." The Red Demon member looked around the alleyway for something, anything to get Yusuke off of him. "Hey I got all night you know. But the longer I have to wait, the less happy I'm gonna be and the more pain you're gonna be in," he said menacingly. "And I've been very polite so far, don't ya think?"

"You w-wanna know about Karasu," the man said slowly.

Yusuke nodded. _'Didn't I just say that?'_ Yusuke thought. _'Maybe the lack of oxygen is making him stupid.' _

"Ka-karasu works for the Red Demons."

"Yeah I actually figured as much. How bout you tell me something useful?" Yusuke said, annoyed. "I may have all night but I don't wanna be here all night."

"He works at the top; he doesn't run the streets like I do."

"Then why is he so interested in me and my team?" Yusuke asked. "What does he want with us?"

"You probably pissed off s-someone at the top," the gang member stuttered. He wasn't sure who he was more afraid of at the moment: the Red Demons who would have his head once they found out he spoke to Yusuke or Yusuke himself, his eyes full of fire and his hand around his throat. The sound of a kicked can had Yusuke turning toward the entrance of the alley, his hand still firmly around the guy's throat.

_'Oh shit,'_ Yusuke thought as five men walked toward them.

"Yo why don't you let our friend go?" the tallest man said.

"I'm having a conversation with your friend; why don't you come back in an hour and see if he's still in one piece?" Yusuke replied.

"Wrong answer buddy," the man said as he walked toward Yusuke. _'Looks like imma get a workout tonight,'_ he thought, tightening his hold on the man's neck.

* * *

Yusuke stumbled out of the alleyway, weaving slightly as he tried to make it to his car without passing out. Despite his earlier cockiness, the fight hadn't been easy; though six-on-one's rarely were. He was doing pretty well until one of them pulled a knife. Then things started to get bad. Yusuke could feel the blood oozing from the stab wound in his side onto the hand that covered it. He could hear Yukina lecturing him now about how important it is to stay still when you're bleeding. Even with all those guys unconscious, staying still was not an option at the moment. He needed help and he needed it now. Yusuke felt his vision swim as he sat in his car, the colors blurring before his eye. Yusuke knew he would never stay conscious long enough to make it back to his apartment but he couldn't just bleed out in his car. _'There's only one place to go,' _he thought, fighting against the grip of unconsciousness that threatened to pull him under.

He haphazardly parked his car and staggered out, nearly falling over his own two feet as he forced himself forward. He knew he was swaying like a drunk but he didn't have the energy to correct it as he passed through the doors, the weight of it making it difficult to open. He hit the doorbell with the palm of his hand, leaving a slightly bloody handprint as he leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to the ground. Yusuke had no more energy left to give and for the first time he wondered if he was going to die. _'Open the door,'_ he thought as his vision faded to black.

* * *

*hides as readers throw fruit because of the cliffhanger*

Who were Kurama and Kuwabara talking about? Where is Yusuke passed out? Will anyone answer the door or will harm befall our favorite hero? Reviews please


	19. Struggling to breathe

Keiko felt her heart drop as her doorbell rang, jolting her awake. She glanced at her clock quickly as she climbed out of bed; it was a little after two in the morning. She felt her stomach twist with worry; something was wrong, very very wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. _'Better not be some stupid kids playing tricks,' _she thought as she looked through her door's peephole. She couldn't see anyone through it, but decided to open her door just on case.

Keiko gasped as she opened the door, her heart stopping for a moment. _'Yusuke!'_ she thought as she bent down to him. "Yusuke," she said softly, resting her hand against his cheek. His skin was ice cold. She had never seen him look so horrible, covered in bruises. "Yusuke, wake up," she called again._ 'Could he have been knocked unconscious?'_ she wondered. She felt her stomach lurch as she noticed the small puddle of blood next to him. Panic energized her as she pulled one of his arms over her shoulder and slowly dragged him onto her couch. _'I need to stop the bleeding,'_ she thought as she rushed into the bathroom wishing she had gone to nursing instead of culinary school. Keiko tried to think of her next move as she attempted to slow Yusuke's bleeding. _ 'He needs a doctor but he wouldn't want to go to the hospital. He needs...Yukina!' _She fumbled through his pants pockets, blushing faintly until she managed to dig out his slightly blood smeared phone. "Hang on Yusuke; I'm getting you help."

* * *

Yukina darted out of her room, fumbling slightly as she pulled on a coat over her pajamas. "Hiei, Kazuma, Kurama," she called, her voice thick with worry and fear. "Yusuke's hurt." Yukina had been surprised to see Yusuke's name flash on her phone late at night; she was even more surprised to hear Keiko's frantic voice nearly cracking with unshed tears. The guys came rushing out of their room at Yukina's call.

"What's going on babe?" Kuwabara asked sleepily.

"What do you mean Yusuke's injured?" Hiei said.

"Keiko just called; Yusuke's at her place and he's really hurt so we need to go now," she said, grabbing Hiei and Kuwabara's shirts and dragging them to the door. "Kurama, get all the supplies ready; it might be a long night," Yukina said as she rushed out the door, the boys close on her heels.

* * *

The minutes she had to wait until Yukina arrived at her apartment would go down as the longest minutes of Keiko Yukimura's life. No tests, date, worry or embarrassment could ever compare to the pulse pounding moments she spent watching over Yusuke. She watched as his chest slowly rose and fell in short, shallow breaths, his heart beating at a slow, sluggish pace. Keiko knew it was a very real possibility that Yusuke could die that night and the mere thought had her blood freezing in her veins. A million other things could happen that night: a meteor could crash into the center of Japan, Godzilla could come to life and destroy Tokyo as he did in all of the clichéd horror movies, a zombie apocalypse could begin. But Yusuke dying was one thing that absolutely could not happen. Keiko held his cold hand between both of her, whispering soft words of encouragement to him, begging him not to give up. Her eyes were filled with tears she refused to cry; right now Yusuke was the most important thing. He always was to her.

It took 8 minutes and 27 seconds for Yukina and the boys to arrive at Keiko's apartment, practically knocking down the door as they banged on it. She rushed to the door, quickly throwing open the locks and letting them in. Yukina rushed into the living room, a first aid kit in hand.

"Keiko, what happened?" Kuwabara asked.

"I don't know, I woke up to my doorbell ringing and when I opened it, Yusuke was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding," Keiko said, a hint of hysteria creeping into her voice.

"Don't worry; Yukina will take care of him," Kuwabara said, following Hiei into the house.

Yukina had made quick work of re-wrapping Yusuke's wound, grimacing at how pale his skin had gotten. 'At least Keiko had the sense to wrap his wound or he'd be dead from blood loss by now,' she thought. "Yusuke's ready to be moved back to the apartment; I can't do anything more for him. Hiei, grab his legs and Kazuma grab his arms."

The boys followed her orders quickly, moving Yusuke rapidly to the front door. "I'm coming too," Keiko said, grabbing her bag off the table as she followed them to the door. Yukina turned toward her, taking in her state. Keiko was disheveled and frazzled but the determined glint left no mistake that she would not be left behind. Yukina nodded, nearly sprinting out the door to the car. Time was of the essence.

* * *

Keiko took her first deep breath since she found Yusuke unconscious at 4:13 am. Yukina had finally called everyone into Yusuke's room, letting them know that he would be alright. He had lost a lot of blood and he would take a few days to regain his strength and a few weeks for his wound to heal, but it didn't look like it would cause any lasting damage. Keiko felt her knees give out in relief slowly sliding down the wall. _'Yusuke's gonna be okay,' _she chanted over and over again in her mind, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"You okay Keiko?" Yukina asked as she knelt next to her.

Keiko nodded, quickly brushing the tears from her cheeks as the guys stared at her in confusion. "I'm just so relieved," she said softly, fearing her voice would crack. "I was scared we were gonna lose him."

"I would never let us lose Yusuke," Yukina said with a smile. "Okay guys, everyone get out and go back to bed. We'll see you in the morning Keiko," she said as she ushered the boys out of the room, firmly closing the door behind her.

Keiko pulled a chair close to Yusuke's bed, yawning as the lateness of the hour finally hit her. She slowly stroked her fingers through his hair, relaxing at the soft texture. "I thought I was gonna lose you Yusuke," she said softly. She kissed his forehead softly, lacing her fingers between his. "I can't let you go that easily."

* * *

I know I know, this wasn't an action/Toguro filled chapter. But i hadddd to tell you what happened to Keiko and Yusuke; after all without them i would have no story. But except fluff/action/scheming in the next chapter or two. Leave a review if you have anything you wanna see and if you don't leave a review anyway, i love them ^_^.

-ninjanervana


	20. Battle plan

"I've heard from an underling that Yusuke Urameshi has been injured in a late night scuffle," Toguro said, smiling wickedly.

"You speak to underlings?" Elder Toguro said, surprise leaking into his voice.

"No but I do keep an ear out for certain names. Urameshi fought six men last night and one person is positive they stabbed him well."

"Will he die?" Elder Toguro said.

"Probably not; he's a fighter. He'll most likely be out of commission for a few days," Younger Toguro replied.

"Should we make our move now?"

"No. Let's wait and see. We have time to plan our next move. It will have to be well-planned," Toguro said, picking up his phone. "I have to call in another favor."

* * *

Yusuke groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt like he had been trampled by a pack of elephants. _'What happened?'_ he thought, too sore to even force his eyelids open. The night came back slowly: him interrogating the Red Demon member in the alley, the other guys that showed up to help the little weasel, the fight that ensued, the blood, there was so much blood, and ringing Keiko's doorbell. _'Keiko!'_ he thought, his eyes snapping open. The first thing he noticed was someone's head resting near his stomach, their hair covering their face. _'It couldn't be.' _Yusuke felt his heart pounding as he gently pushed the hair from the person's face, a small smile on his lips._ 'She's here,' _he thought happily, gently running his fingers through her hair. He didn't have much energy to do anything else anyway. He didn't want to wake her; he knew she'd be out the door once she saw he was fine. Yusuke was happy just to enjoy that moment. He watched as Keiko's eyelids fluttered slowly, her warm brown eyes opening to look up at him.

"Yusuke?" she said sleepily.

"Hey," he replied, smiling at her_. 'Well she's not running.'_

"Yusuke!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Ow, Keiko that hurts," he groaned, his arms wrapping around her. He tightened his arms around her as she tried to pull back, blushing slightly. "I didn't say to go anywhere; just don't tackle me like that again."

"Okay," Keiko laughed through her tears, gazing at Yusuke. "I'm so glad you're awake."

"Yeah, so glad you're crying," he said sarcastically, sitting up as he brushed the tears away from her cheeks. He pulled her onto the bed next to him, holding her hands gently. "You don't need to cry over me."

"You scared me so much Yusuke," she said softly, looking down at their intertwined hands. "When I found you, you had lost so much blood. I-I thought…I thought I w-was gonna lose y-you," she said, a sob escaping her throat.

Yusuke felt his heart clench as he looked at Keiko's heartbroken face. "Hey it's okay," he said, pulling her into his arms, allowing her hot tears to wet his chest. "It's gonna take more than a little stab wound to do me in; everything's alright now." Yusuke rubbed her back gently as Keiko cried herself out; all the tears that went unshed the night before finally coming out in a torrent of emotion.

Keiko finally regained control of her emotions, sniffling slightly as she calmed down. She pulled back slightly, looking at Yusuke with red-rimmed eyes. She hesitated for a moment before she slowly leaned in, kissing Yusuke slowly. The kiss quickly escalated, their weeks apart driving them forward. "I missed you so much Yusuke," she said as they pulled apart.

"I missed you too Keiko," he replied, brushing his thumb across her cheek gently. "I was going crazy without you."

"Do you think…do you think we could try again?" Keiko asked hesitantly.

"Why Keiko did you miss me?" he teased.

"You bet I did," she replied, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

They finally parted as the need for oxygen grew. "I wanna start over with us," Yusuke said, resting his forehead against hers. "No secrets this time I swear; I won't lie to you again."

"I'd like that," Keiko replied, smiling happily. This is where her heart wanted to be.

* * *

"Well thanks to Yusuke's incredible investigating skills-" Kurama said.

"Hey, don't be jealous just because I got the information pounding some guy's face in instead of trying to find it through less violent ways," Yusuke said from his seat on the couch. The entire gang sat in the living room, gathered for an informal Black Dragon meeting.

"I suggested your method Yusuke," Hiei said from his perch on the chair arm next to Yukina. "Kurama disapproved."

"Well Kurama is the level headed one," Kuwabara said, putting his arm around Yukina. "Look what happened to Uramehsi; I don't wanna end up like him."

"I had a six-on-one fight and got stabbed in the side and I can still hand your ass to you Kuwabara," Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles. Keiko laughed as she watched Yusuke and Kuwabara argue with each other. Even in serious situations, the guys were joking around.

"Like I was saying!" Kurama yelled, keeping Yusuke and Kuwabara from pummeling each other. "Thanks to Yusuke's information we know we're looking for someone at the top of the Red Demon ladder."

"The real question is why are they coming after us?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'm thinking it has to do with all of the shipments we've been intercepting fool," Hiei said coolly.

"Hiei is right; that's the most likely reason that someone is trying to attack the people we care for. The only question is who is at the top. No one seems to know who it is that runs the Red Demons," Kurama said.

"Do you think we should go see the old hag and try to find out if she knows anything?" Yusuke asked, pulling Keiko closer to him.

"We were actually thinking about that yesterday while you were out interrogating people. She's the most likely person to know about this," Kurama replied.

"Then that's that," Yusuke said. "We're gonna take a field trip to go see Grandma, kiddies."

* * *

Who's Toguro gonna call for a favor? What is he planning? What are the boys gonna learn? Review please


	21. An old leader and another side of Kurama

"So who are we going to see?" Keiko asked as they began to climb the high staircase up the side of a mountain.

After a quick meeting in the living room everyone departed to handle the tasks they were given. Kurama was going to talk to his informants on the inside of the Red Demon gang. Hiei and Kuwabara were going to drop Yukina at work before visiting other Black Dragon members to see if they had any information about the Red Demon's top leader. If that failed, the pair were going to head to Eastern Tokyo to do reconnaissance tomorrow while Yusuke and Kurama went to Western Tokyo. For now though, Keiko and Yusuke were going to visit the former Black Dragon leader for the Southern District.

"We're going to visit Grandma," Yusuke replied, smiling. He was happy Keiko had decided to come with him on this little trip. He wasn't sure if she would accept when he asked if she wanted to come, but she said yes easily, although she insisted on being taken home to shower and change. Within an hour they were driving out of Tokyo, a basket of sandwiches packed and ready.

"I'm serious Yusuke," she said, shoving his shoulder slightly. "Who could you possibly know who lives all the way out here?" Keiko had been surprised when Yusuke drove so far away from Tokyo; she assumed a gang leader, even a former one, would stay close to the city.

"I told you we're going to see Grandma. At least that's what I call her," he laughed. "Remind me to tell her to install an escalator," he said as they finally reached the top of the staircase.

Keiko's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings, her eyes drinking in the place. It looked like a beautiful paradise dropped onto the side of a mountain. The entire area seemed to be a plateau carved into the side of the mountain. The entire area was filled with foliage, trees and flowers covered almost every surface. A stone path led the way to what seemed to be a dojo. "Yusuke, who lives here?" she said softly. "It's beautiful."

"At least someone appreciates it," a voice said from the dojo. The door slid open, revealing a small old woman, dressed in old fashioned fighting clothes.

"Hey Genkai," Yusuke said, raising a hand in greeting.

"What are you doing here dimwit?" she replied.

* * *

"You seem like a smart girl; what are you doing with a fool like Yusuke?" Genkai asked, sipping her tea. The three of them sat in her living room, each with a cup of tea in hand.

"You know I'm right here?" Yusuke said dryly. "The least you could do is not insult me in front of my girlfriend you old hag."

"Call me old hag again and I'll kick you ass in front of your girlfriend," she replied.

Keiko suppressed a laugh, not wanting to spit her tea out. Since the moment Genkai had opened her door, she and Yusuke had been verbally sparing to the amusement of Keiko. _'They argue so much, but they seem so similar,'_ she thought.

"So what are you two doing here? I'm assuming you didn't come here because you happened to be driving by. What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?" Genkai asked.

"We've got some problems with the Red Demons," Yusuke replied, putting his cup down. "They've been targeting the people closest to me and the guys: Keiko, Yukina, Shizuru. We wanted to know if you knew who was at the top of the Red Demon Ladder."

"How would Genkai know?" Keiko asked, looking back and forth between Yusuke and Genkai.

"I used to be the Southern district leader a few years ago. I was the one who suggested Yusuke take over the area when I left and the big man up to approved it," Genkai.

"He's not that big," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, do you know about who runs the Red Demon gang or not? We've got big problems with them."

"What could you have possibly done to get the Toguros angry with you?" Genkai asked. "Tell me everything that's happened."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing calling a meeting in a place like this? You know I'll be murdered if anyone in the Red Demons find out I even know you," Ura Urashima said anxiously, looking over his shoulder. "I don't wanna die you know."

"Well if you don't provide me with the information I want, you may still die, just at my hand instead of the Red Demons," Kurama said coolly. He watched Urashima shiver at his disguised threat. "Now tell me who runs the Red Demons."

Urashima looked over his shoulder again, sinking lower in the restaurant booth. "The Red Demons are run by a pair of brothers, the Toguros. They have another guy working close to them, kinda like a right hand man. His name's Karasu. There's also Bui, but he's more brawn than brains you know?"

"Do you know why they would be coming after us?" Kurama asked.

"I don't know; they don't tell me anything. I'm just a little guy," Urashima replied, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Are you sure Urashima? Because if I find out you're lying to me and allowing the people I care for to be put in danger I will come find you. And no one in the Red Demons will be able to protect you from my wrath," Kurama said dangerously.

'_What did I get myself into?'_ Urashima thought as he tugged at the collar of his shirt. He was suddenly reminded of the proverb that warned of the dangers of serving two masters. "I don't know anything for sure but I've been hearing rumors about Toguro being mad about some of his shipments being stolen and wanting to get rid of the problem. I don't know if that's you guys or not, but he intends to do something about it. And Toguro always follows through on his plans." Urashima's phone vibrated on the tabletop, causing him to jump. "I gotta go," he said, getting up from his seat and quickly scurrying out of the restaurant.

'_We are in trouble,'_ Kurama said, leaving the restaurant.

* * *

The boys are slowly piecing together the mystery but will the Toguro's find out? Reviews please


	22. Enlisting help

"So our boy Yusuke's gotten himself into a spot of trouble with the Red Demons eh?" Chu asked, pouring himself another glass of sake.

"Yeah well more than a bit and we're all in this mess," Kuwabara replied. Kuwabara and Hiei had spent the afternoon looking for Chu before eventually finding him in a bar. "Do you know anything about the Red Demons?"

"I know lots bout 'em," Chu replied.

"What the fool means to ask is do you know why they're coming after us and how they might attack us next," Hiei said. He wasn't too afraid of who was coming after then, but Hiei was concerned about Yukina. She couldn't defend herself and he couldn't be with her 24/7 as hard as he tried.

"Well from what I've heard, Urameshi has become a bit of a pain in the ass for the Demons. Someone up top must not be too pleased," Chu said, taking his drink. "Now I don't know for sure what their next move will be, but if I was them, I'd get rid of one of yous. Ya know divide and conquer. Bloody brilliant strategist I am."

"More like an alcoholic," Hiei retorted, heading to the door.

"You tell Urameshi if he needs any extra muscle to gimme a buzz," Chu said as Kuwabara walked away. "I owe 'im a favor or two."

* * *

"You've gotten in way over your head," Genkai said as Yusuke finished his story. "You've brought the wrath of the Red Demons down on you and not just any Demon, but Toguro. Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble when I left you in charge dimwit?"

"I don't remember, I musta forgotten to clean my ears that day," Yusuke replied.

"If you wanna be a smart ass, then fine go get yourself killed. But now you've dragged her into it," Genkai said, pointing at Keiko. "You're all in trouble now."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Yusuke asked seriously.

"You're going to have to attack first. Get information on Toguro, find where his base is and hit him before he gets you all. You're in the big leagues now dimwit. Get Keiko a gun or something."

"A g-gun?" Keiko stuttered. "What am I going to do with a gun?"

Genkai's face softened as she looked at Keiko. She probably hoped to slowly wade into the gang life waters and here she was basically being pushed into the pool. "The Red Demons know about you. They've watched you, they know you're important to Yusuke. If they want to go after Yusuke, they'll go for you, his biggest weakness. If you don't want a gun, get a switchblade or a taser. Learn some self-defense moves at the very least. The same goes for Shizuru and Yukina."

Keiko nodded, her mind spinning. "I can do the defense class," she said softly.

"And I'll get her a taser," Yusuke said.

"Make sure you take good care of her Yusuke. I like her; she's much smarter than you. Call the big guy if you need the help," Genkai said, leading them to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind as a last resort," Yusuke said.

The walk down the mountain stairs was a silent one, Yusuke wrapped in his thoughts. He wanted to kick himself for putting Keiko in danger. He had known when he first met her it would be dangerous to bring her into his world and yet he still did it. Keiko watched him brooding, wanting to talk to him but knowing he needed time with his thoughts. He was probably just as worried as she was.

"I'm sorry," Yusuke said as they got into the car.

"For what?" Keiko asked.

"For bringing you into this mess. I knew it would be dangerous for you but I still did it anyway. I'm really sorry Keiko."

"It's okay Yusuke."

"No it's not," he shouted, punching his steering wheel. "You should be safe; not worrying about people watching you or having to defend yourself. You should have a normal life."

"Yusuke," Keiko said as she gently took his face in her hands. "I knew exactly what I was getting into by getting back together with you. I don't regret anything."

Yusuke kissed her palm, shaking his head as he started the car. He didn't agree with her but there was no point arguing about it.

As they neared Tokyo, Yusuke's phone began to ring. "Check who it is for me," Yusuke asked, presuming it was one of the guys.

"It's your mom," Keiko replied.

"Shit, answer and put her on speaker for me please. Hey Ma," Yusuke said as Keiko put his phone on the center console.

"Yusuke Urameshi, I thought you were coming over for dinner last night," his mother said.

Yusuke winced at her shrill tone. "Sorry Ma, I got caught up with work last night." Which technically was true. He was caught up fighting and getting stabbed.

"You mean you got caught up beating someone up last night. I know you're busy with the Black Dragons but you could have at least called me," she scolded. "Why don't you come over for lunch now?"

"Uh…I'm kind of busy right now," he said, glancing at Keiko.

"With work or a girl?" she asked, causing Keiko to laugh. "So it is a girl. Well bring her to lunch too."

"Ma, I don't know-"

"I'd love to come for lunch," Keiko interrupted. "We'll be there soon."

"Great, I'll see you two in a little bit then," his mother replied as she hung up.

"What?" Keiko asked innocently as Yusuke glared at her. "It'll be fun."

* * *

Keiko's gonna go meet Yusuke's mom, this will be fun =] Reviews please


	23. Mommy Dearest

'_What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into Yusuke?'_ Genkai thought as she watched them walk down the staircase. She knew from the moment she saw Yusuke that he came bearing very good or very bad news. She had hoped for good news when she had seen the girl, Keiko, hoped that maybe her favorite dimwit was getting married. It would have been nice to see him settle down; he wouldn't want to leave the Black Dragons but he could have a wife by his side_. 'At least he's got a girlfriend.'_

Genkai found herself liking Keiko already though she barely knew her. She seemed to be Yusuke's opposite yet his complement. They were a good match and there was no hiding the quiet happiness on Yusuke's face. At last her dimwit had found love in time for a possible gang war. She sighed as she sat on her front porch. She was tired of the gang life; she stepped down from her position to escape it at last. Besides Yusuke and his friends, she didn't really have any more connections. And yet here she was getting dragged back in. She had told Yusuke to stay out of trouble when he took over her position. She had hoped to live out the remainder of her years in peace. But she couldn't leave Yusuke to face Toguro alone; she knew Toguro too well to do that to Yusuke. She took her phone out of her pocket, hitting the second speed dial.

"Hello. I think Yusuke may need some help."

"Help with what?" the person asked.

"The Toguros."

* * *

Yusuke resisted the urge to bang his head against the dashboard as he parked in front of his mother's house. Bringing Keiko to his old home to meet his mom and have lunch was _NOT_ on his agenda for the day.

"So did you grow up in this neighborhood?" Keiko asked, looking around at the modest middle class houses.

"I wish I grew up somewhere this nice," Yusuke replied, shutting off the car. "I only moved Ma out here when I started making money. My old neighborhood wasn't that great."

Not that great was an understatement. His old neighborhood was a rundown, poor area where they barely managed to get by. His mother had gotten pregnant when she was in high school and had Yusuke pretty young. It had only been the two of them and she tried hard to support them both though she squandered her money occasionally on liquor. Once Yusuke was old enough, he started running with the Black Demons, increasing his income as he rose up the ladder. His mother tried to convince him to leave the gang but he refused now that he could help his mom with the bills. It later got to a point where Yusuke could provide for both of them and moved them to a better house.

"Just letting you know, my mom's a little crazy," he said as he rang the doorbell.

"Aren't they all?" Keiko laughed. "Don't worry, it'll all be fine." Keiko's eyes widened as the door opened. "Atsuko!" she exclaimed.

"Hey kiddo," she replied, equally surprised. "I didn't expect you to be Yusuke's girl."

"Wait, how do you guys know each other?" Yusuke asked, looking from one person to the other. This wasn't exactly how he pictured everything.

"Your mom's come into my bakery a few times, although I didn't know she was your mom at the time," Keiko explained, cringing internally as she thought about all the things she had told Atsuko about Yusuke.

"Which means you're the asshole who kept Keiko waiting so long for you to finally man up and ask her out and then you went and broke her heart," Atsuko said angrily, smacking the back of Yusuke's head. "What's wrong with you, you idiot? You're lucky to have someone like Keiko."

Yusuke shook his head as he walked into the house. "I'm her son and she already likes you better," Yusuke said to Keiko.

"Well at least you had the sense to get back with her," Atsuko said. "Come on, let's get lunch and you can tell me all about how you two met."

The afternoon sped by with ease as they all ate lunch and talked. Keiko was actually glad that Atsuko turned out to be Yusuke's mom. She had been so worried about trying to say the right thing and make a good impression; she was a mess of nerves on the inside. But Atsuko seemed like an old friend, making jokes, laughing at their stories. She already knew Keiko's side of the story; now she was getting Yusuke's. She was surprised Atsuko was so calm about Yusuke's involvement with the Black Dragons, asking causally about his teammates and his missions. _'Maybe I'll be that nonchalant one day,'_ Keiko thought.

"You make sure you hold onto Keiko, Yusuke. I'll never forgive you if you let her slip out of your fingers," Atsuko said as they walked out of the house.

"Don't worry Ma, I won't lose her twice," Yusuke said.

"It was nice seeing you again Keiko. Feel free to stop by if Yusuke gives you any trouble."

"I'll hold you too that Atsuko," Keiko laughed.

* * *

"So Urameshi's been doing research too," Toguro said as he looked at Karasu.

"Yes, it seems he's trying to discover who the leader of the Red Demons are," Karasu replied.

"And has he had any luck yet?" he asked, grinning evilly.

"I believe he knows who you are, but he doesn't know anything about you as of yet."

"Hm, I guess we'll have to give him some incentive. Send Bui in when you leave," Toguro said, the wheels in his evil mind turning.

* * *

The awkward moment when your mom and your girlfriend know each other before you introduce them lol. But this was quite a fluffy chapter :] What are the Toguros planning o.o Reviews please.


	24. Memories

Botan sighed as Keiko left her apartment, an extra spring in her step. Botan was uneasy when Keiko had told her she was back with Yusuke. The last thing she wanted was to see her best friend heartbroken again. It was hard enough to see that the first time. But Botan couldn't deny how Keiko seemed to shine with happiness. _'If Yusuke break her heart again, I'll break his legs with a sledgehammer,'_ Botan thought as her phone rang. _'Hopefully things will work out this time; Keiko did say they worked out their problems.'_

"Hello," Botan said as she answered the phone. "Oh hi Grams, how are you?...Of course you can stay with me if you visit Tokyo; I'd love it...Okay just let me know when you're coming. Bye Grams."

* * *

Keiko smiled at the doorman as she entered the building, loaded with bags. He had grown used to seeing Keiko several times a week, constantly visiting the boys. Their apartment had quickly become a second home to her; she'd even slept over once.

_Flashback_

Yusuke and Keiko had stayed up late one evening watching movies in his bedroom. Yusuke and the guys didn't have a mission that evening and Keiko had come over after closing the bakery, wanting to spend some quality time with him. Yusuke could see Keiko was too tired to do anything much so they settled into his bed with popcorn and a few movies.

Keiko had fallen asleep within the first hour, the long work day draining her energy. Yusuke didn't mind; he knew how hard she worked at her bakery. And she looked so cute cuddle up against him, her head on his shoulder and her arm draped across his stomach. He was happy to listen to her slow, steady breathing as he rubbed her back. She had woken up around two in the morning, confused momentairly about where she was. She looked up to see Yusuke still awake, a small smile on his lips.

"Sorry I fell asleep," she said softly, her voice thick with sleep.

"It's okay; you were tired," he replied, kissing her forehead softly. Keiko loved these tender moments. Yusuke wasn't afraid to show affection in front of his friends but there was something about these loving moments that no one else could see that made her melt inside. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Keiko glanced at his clock, shaking her head when she saw how late it was. "Can I just borrow some clothes to sleep in?" Yusuke gave her a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt and after changing quickly in the bathroom, she climbed into bed with him and promptly fell asleep.

_Flashback end_

Keiko pulled the apartment key from her bag, struggling to slide it into the lock as she shifted the grocery bags she carried. Finally she got the door open, stumbling through with her bags. She paused as she shut the door, a soft sound reaching her ears. Usually the apartment was empty at that hour. Keiko gently set the bags on the floor, creeping slowly toward the living room. She was surprised to find Hiei in the living room, spinning a sword like a samurai reincarnated. Keiko was mesmerized by the sight: the easy with which Hiei handled the sword, the way the sunlight reflected off the smooth blade, the fluidity of his movements.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei asked, turning toward Keiko.

"Oh I just came over to make dinner," she replied.

Hiei nodded, turning away as he began practicing with his sword again. Keiko came over every few days to cook dinner for them and though Hiei would never say it, he was grateful for it; Yukina needed a break.

Keiko brought the bags into the kitchen, quickly making a sandwich as she prepared the ingredients for dinner. Although Hiei could seem cold and aloof, he did seem to have a good heart. If anyone could care about their younger sister as much as he did about Yukina they had to be a good person. She walked back into the living room with the sandwich as Hiei sat on the couch, unwrapping the bandages on his arm. Keiko couldn't remember ever seeing him without them so she was curious to see what was under them. A simple dragon tattoo made its way from his fingertips to the middle of his forearm. Keiko wasn't a fan of tattoos but she could see the beauty of it.

"I made you a sandwich; I figured you might be hungry," Keiko said softly, placing the plate on the coffee table with a smile before she walked back to the kitchen.

Hiei looked down at the sandwich Keiko had made for him, a simple turkey on rye. Besides his sister, Keiko seemed to be the only woman who wasn't afraid of him. _'Afraid anymore,'_ he mentally corrected himself, remembering the first day when he held a knife to her throat._ 'I didn't join the Black Dragons to make friends anyway,' _he thought, taking a bite of the sandwich.

After Yukina and his parents died in a house fire, they had both been put into the foster care system. It wasn't the safest place for them and Hiei had to constantly protect Yukina from the other children who bullied her. Yukina was too kind to fight back when she was picked on and teased. As her older brother, he made it his job to always keep her safe and the string of people with broken noses could attest to how serious he took his job. Once he turned 14, he joined the Black Dragons despite Yukina's protests. He needed a way to provide for them and this was the easiest way. He couldn't really remember how he fell in with Yusuke; the only time he had seen Yusuke was during a huge fight with the Red Demons. After realizing they were on the same side, they had worked together in the battle. A year later when Yusuke became Southern District leader, Yusuke had sought him out to be part of his team. He was hesitant at first, but joining Yusuke would provide Yukina with a safe place to live.

Hiei got along with Kurama well; they seemed to be on the same wavelength. His relationship with Kuwabara, however, was rocky from the start and only worsened once he started dating Yukina. But as long as Yukina held him in her favor, Hiei would let him live.

"We're home," Yukina called as she walked into the apartment, familiar voices following her. Hiei picked up his now empty plate and walked to the kitchen. Despite his best efforts, Hiei had found a home again.

* * *

I thought it'd be nice to get some background on Hiei. Plus i adore him. Reviews please :]


	25. Precious Things

This chapter is dedicated to jazzmonkey, a reader of mine who gave me a bit of inspiration for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

"We need to find out where the Toguros' heaquarters are; we need more information," Yusuke said, frustrated. The team had gathered in the living room after dinner for a group meeting about what they knew, trying to figure out some plan of action. Turned out they didn't know much.

"Well where do you expect us to get information from Urameshi?" Should we go talk to Jin and Toya and the others?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Yusuke said, rubbing his face. "Someone has to know something valuable. You and Hiei should go make a few house calls."

"Why do you insist on pairing me with the fool?" Hiei said, earning a slap on the arm from Yukina.

"Hey, who are you calling a fool, short stuff?" Kuwabara said heatedly.

"Oh Kazuma, you know he doesn't mean it," Yukina said, trying to pacify him.

"Yes I did," Hiei said.

"I pair you guys up because," Yusuke said loudly, trying to cut off the argument before it escalated, "it makes me laugh." Yusuke had to hold back a laugh as he looked at everyone's expression: Hiei and Kuwabara's glares, Kurama's shocked look, Yukina's surprised expression.

"You've _got _to be messing with me Urameshi," Kuwabara said seriously.

"And despite the fact that you two are always at each other's throats, you've got that good cop-bad cop thing going on. That's gotta be handy for questioning people," Yusuke said with a shrug.

"You never cease to amaze me Yusuke," Kurama said, chuckling.

"Gotta keep you guys on your toes," Yusuke laughed. "What about you Kurama? You got any ideas?"

"Just one. I'm going to have a conversation with my informant; he's keeping something from me and I intend to find out what it is," Kurama said coldly.

"Kurama, you aren't gonna do anything drastic are you?" Yukina asked cautiously.

"Depends on your definition of drastic. I will do everything in my power to get information out of my source," Kurama replied.

"And if that includes hanging the guy upside down and beating him with a bat, well then that's life," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes.

"Precisely, in my eyes I don't view that as drastic; I consider it necessary. Hopefully it won't get to that point, but if it does then I'll have no choice." Kurama glanced down at his watch, putting on his coat. "I'll be off now; see you all tomorrow."

"Seems like Yoko has come out to play tonight," Hiei said.

"Yoko?" Yukina asked curiously.

"That's what Hiei calls Kurama when he gets all scary like that," Yusuke explained.

"Yoko was a legendary fox demon. He was a master thief," Hiei said. "He could break into any safe house, rob the people and make it out without ever being caught. He was renowned for being cunning as well as cold and ruthless, slaughtering anyone who stood in his path. It sounds like Kurama at the moment, doesn't it?"

"You don't think he'll really kill someone, do you?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"He might if his informer pushes him too far. Kurama has humanity, but even I know not to push him too far," Hiei replied.

Ura Urashima saw his life flash before his eyes as Kurama held him over the edge of a building, holding tightly to his ankles. Urashima thought it was odd that Kurama wanted a meeting on the rooftop of some strange building, but he thought he'd be less likely to run into anyone from the Red Demons. Now he regretted it as he watched Tokyo traffic whizzing by below.

"Ura Urashima, I thought you and I were good friends," Kurama said coolly.

"We are, we are," he replied, panic leaking into his voice.

"Really, are we really?" Kurama said, enjoying toying with Urashima. "If we truly are friends then why are you keeping information from me?"

"I-i'm not Kurama, I swear I'm not," Urashima said fearfully.

"Are you sure?" Kurama asked coldly, lowering Urashima more.

"Yes, yes I'm sure."

Kurama pulled Urashima back over the edge and dropped him onto the rooftop. Urashima looked as if he was on the edge of a panic attack, clinging to the asphalt of the roof. _'Such a spineless creature,' _he thought. He grabbed Urashima, holding him up by his throat. "Listen very closely Urashmia because I don't like repeating myself. There are very few things in my life that I consider precious and these things have recently come under attack. I will go to _any _lengths to protect these things, fight anyone, kill anyone. So I will ask you once: do you know where Toguro is?"

"I-I don't know for sure," he said, nearly screaming when Kurama held him over the edge of the building again. "Wait, wait! I know he moves between the four districts and I know for sure he's in the Southern District right now. I think he's in an office type building."

"Is that all you know?" Kurama said, bringing Urashima close to his face.

"Yes, yes I swear," he said, holding tightly to Kurama's arm.

Kurama threw him onto the rooftop, relesasing his grip on Urashima's throat. "Next time I won't be as nice about you wasting my time," Kurama said, walking away.

* * *

Well Kurama can get a little...scary. But now the boys have some kind of a lead; what's gonna be their next move? Reviews please.


	26. Dangerous Times

Yusuke wanted to murder whoever was banging on the front door of the apartment that early in the morning. Even if eleven in the morning wasn't considered very early by anyone else. He tucked the blanket around Keiko's slim frame, brushing the hair from her eyes before he rolled out of bed and walked out of his room. He would have just left the person banging at the front door, but there was no one else to answer the door. Kurama had gone to visit his mother and ask if she had gotten any unusual packages. Yukina had to work the morning shift that day so Hiei and Kuwabara drove her to work before they looked for the other gang members. That left Yusuke and Keiko alone in the apartment. He would have liked to stay in bed with Keiko, to have a leisurely morning and make her breakfast, but he could not listen to the constant pounding on the door. _'Whoever banging on my goddamn door is gonna get their foot shoved up their ass,'_ he thought angrily as he opened the door.

"Yo," the tall man said, walking into the apartment as Yusuke opened the door.

"Hey baby breath! What's the big idea banging on my front door so early in the goddamned morning? Do you want me to kill you?" Yusuke said, following him into the living room.

"It's eleven in the morning Yusuke; it is by no means of the imagination early in the morning. And as my Southern District leader, my subordinate, I would appreciate it if you didn't call me baby breath. My name is Koenma."

"Stop looking like a baby and I'll stop calling you once," Yusuke muttered. Koenma did look much younger than his 34 years of age. With his short brown hair and smooth, clear skin, he looked more like a teenager than the head of the entire Black Dragon gang. But looks could be deceiving. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Yusuke, what's with all the noise?" Keiko asked, yawning as she walked into the living room. "Oh I didn't realize you had company over; I'm sorry." Keiko blushed at being seen in Yusuke's clothes that she had slept in. It was one thing for the other guys to see her; they were usually more disheveled than she was in the morning. But this guy sat on Yusuke's couch wearing a blue shirt with a red tie and khaki pants, looking far more presentable than her disheveled state or Yusuke's shirtless one.

"It's okay, it's only baby face here," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Koenma, Yusuke's boss," Koenma said, rising from his seat to shake Keiko's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too; I'm Keiko, Yusuke's girlfriend," she replied.

"A fool like Yusuke could never get a girl like you. I guess miracles do happen," Koenma laughed as Keiko went to sit next to Yusuke.

"Yeah yeah, why don't you just tell me why you're here?" Yusuke asked.

"Genkai called me; she said you were in trouble," Koenma said seriously. "Why don't you tell me what's going on with the Toguros and your team?"

* * *

"Oye I tell you that Urameshi's always getting himself into trouble," Jin said, shaking his head. "Not an easy day in that lad's life."

"Well he wouldn't be Yusuke if he didn't get into trouble every now and then," Toya said, sipping his tea.

"Yeah well he's gotten us into some big trouble now," Kuwabara said, leaning back in his chair.

After dropping Yukina off at the hospital, Kuwabara and Hiei had gone in search of Jin and Toya, hoping they would have some useful information. They found the pair easily, much easier than trying to find Chu. Jin and Toya were part of the same team like the entire Urameshi team which made it that much simper to find them.

"Do you know anything useful about the Toguros?" Hiei said, shifting in his seat. Hiei never fidgeted. Ever. But he felt as if something was wrong; something was tugging at his gut, telling him something was not quite right, to be on guard. But he couldn't figure out what was wrong; he was uneasy and he wasn't happy about it.

"I hear he's in the Southern District handling problems," Toya said.

"At least now Kurama won't have to kill his informant," Kuwabara replied. "Do you know anything else?"

"If I remember right, I heard a rumor that he was staying in the center of Tokyo for business, but he had a house outside of Tokyo where he actually stayed," Jin said. "I might be wrong though, after all tis only a rumor."

"But it's a rumor Kurama can investigate at least," Hiei said.

"Let us know if Yusuke needs a hand with anything; we're always willing to help," Toya said.

"How a bastard like Urameshi has so many friends is beyond me," Kuwabara laughed. "But I'll let him know."

Hiei felt as if a bag of ice slid into his stomach as his phone rang, He looked down at the phone screen, his stomach flipping when he saw Yukina's name blinking. "Yukina?" Hiei said, hoping he hid the slight tremor in his voice.

"Hiei!" Yukina screamed into the phone. The noise in the background nearly drowned out her voice, people shouting and running in the background. "Hiei!"

"Yukina, what's going on!" he asked franticly.

"The hospital's on fire Hiei! It's burning down!"

Hiei felt his heart drop at her words, his blood congealing in his veins. "GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL NOW!"

"What's going on? What's wrong with Yukina!" Kuwabara asked worried.

"The freaking hospital is on fire!" Hiei replied, jumping up from his seat and running out the door, Kuwabara following close behind him.

"Hiei, I can't leave; I have to help the patients get out too! I can't let them burn alive!" she said, her voice shaking with fear and exertion.

"Screw the patients Yukina; leave them and get out of there!" Even as the words passed through his lips, Hiei knew she wouldn't leave them. She worked too hard as a nurse to simply leave everyone there to die. He started the car, knowing even if he raced to the hospital, it would take at least seven minutes to get there. More than enough time for her to die from smoke inhalation or the flames.

"Tell her to get the hell out of there!" Kuwabara shouted.

"Tell Kazuma I love him, okay Hiei?" she said, her voice cracking. "Tell him I love him and remember I always love you."

"Yukina don't you dare talk like that!" Hiei said harshly. "I will not lose you too."

"Brother, I-" Yukina's sentence was cut off as she screamed and the phone went dead.

"Yukina!" Hiei screamed as he slammed on the gas pedal, speeding down the street as his heart threatened to burst free from his chest.

* * *

*dramatic music* will Yukina make it out of the fire alive or will Hiei lose the only person he truly cares for? Reviews please


	27. Flames

"Has the job been completed Bui?" Toguro asked, lighting his cigarette.

"Yes, the fire has been started," he replied.

"And you're positive it was in the hospital wing where Hiei's sister works?"

"Yes, I watched her go into that part of the building before I started the fire," Bui said. "With the accelerant I used, the entire hospital will go up in flames in minutes. The chances of surviving are slim."

"Very good. It's quite ironic that while Hiei is a ruthless fighter, his sister is a humanitarian," Toguro said. "I cannot wait to see how this will all play out."

* * *

"The hospital's on fire Hiei! It's burning down!" Yukina felt her lungs constricting in anxiety as she covered her mouth with a cloth and raced down the hallways. Ever since her parents had perished in a house fire, Yukina was afraid of fires. Now it was as if her worst nightmares had come to life.

"GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL NOW!" Hiei shouted into the phone, hurting her ear.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Yukina!" Kuwabara asked worried. Yukina's heart ached at his worried tone, wishing she didn't worry them so much. But she knew she had to call Hiei and let him know what was going on; if he found out any other way, he would lose it.

"The freaking hospital is on fire!" Hiei replied, the sound of a car vaguely heard in the background.

"Hiei, I can't leave; I have to help the patients get out too! I can't let them burn alive!" she said, her voice shaking with fear and exertion. People were running left and right, trying to escape the flames; patients, doctors, everyone was trying to get out alive. But who knew where the fire was even started from? She pushed open another room door, scanning it for patients before shutting the door again.

"Screw the patients Yukina; leave them and get out of there!" She knew Hiei would say that to her; he was only concerned for her safety. But Yukina couldn't live knowing she left people she could have saved.

"Tell her to get the hell out of there!" Kuwabara shouted.

"Tell Kazuma I love him, okay Hiei?" she said, her voice cracking. "Tell him I love him and remember I always love you." Yukina wasn't sure she was going to make it out as her eyes began to water and her throat grew more dry.

"Yukina don't you dare talk like that!" Hiei said harshly. "I will not lose you too."

"Brother, I-" Yukina's sentence was cut off as she grabbed the doorknob, not realizing how hot it was. Her phone dropped to the floor, sliding out of her sight. She stuck her head into the room, looking around for any patients that might have been left behind. She felt her head swim as she continued down the hall, her head growing more and more lightheaded. _'I need to get out now,' _she thought, coughing harshly.

She stumbled down the hall, leaning heavily against the walls to stay upright, her mind focused on getting out alive. She didn't know how far the fire was from her, but she refused to give up without a fight. She was the only family Hiei had left and she wouldn't leave him alone in the world. The image of her older brother drove her forward as her legs grew weak beneath her. She saw the image of her loved ones flash before her eyes: her parents smiling at her, Hiei with his trademark smirk, Yusuke and Kurama laughing, Keiko cooking in the kitchen, Shizuru smoking, and Kuwabara with his hand held out to her. _'Kazuma,' _she thought worriedly_. 'At least he knows I love him,'_ she thought as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Keiko!" Yusuke screamed as he hung up the phone on Kuwabara. "Keiko!"

"What? What is it?" she asked, rushing out of room, her hair dripping wet on her shoulders. "What's going on?"

"We need to get to the hospital now!" he said, running toward the door as Keiko ran after him.

"Yusuke, what's going on?" she asked as Yusuke pushed the elevator button repeatedly.

"The hospital's on fire! Yukina's in there somewhere; Kuwabara just called and told me. He said she called Hiei and she was still in the hospital when her phone went dead. They don't know if she's out or not," Yusuke said, wanting to pull his hair out as the elevator slowly descended to the lobby. The thought of losing Yukina tore at his heart. She was the little sister he never had, one of the main women in his life. He couldn't think about losing her.

"Oh Yukina," Keiko said, her eyes welling with tears. "She has to be okay."

"We're gonna need backup," Yusuke said, pulling out his phone.

* * *

Hiei felt his knees shake slightly as he drove closer to the hospital, the plume of smoke visible from blocks away. Kuwabara looked as if he was ready to jump out of the car and run to the hospital; Hiei knew how he felt.

"She said she loves you," Hiei said softly.

"What?" Kuwabara said, whipping his head quickly toward Hiei. His mind had been churning over the possibility of losing Yukina since he found out the hospital was on fire, his mind in a grip of terror.

"Yukina said to tell you that she loves you," Hiei said, pulling up alongside the fire engines before jumping out of the car. He quickly scanned the crowds, hoping to see his sister's beautiful face among the masses, but there was no such luck._ 'She's not out yet,' _he thought rushing toward the hospital.

"Hey you can't go in there," two cops said, blocking his path.

"Move out of my way or I will break your neck in a heartbeat," he said harshly, aware of Kuwabara behind him. "My little sister is in there!"

"I'm sorry buddy but-" the officer was cut off as Kuwabara punched him, Hiei knocking out the second officer. The pair rushed toward the hospital before they were tackled to the ground, their arms held behind their back.

"Hiei, you can't go in there," Yusuke said, pinning him to the ground.

"Urameshi's right mate, you two knuckleheads run in there and you're just gonna make it worse," Chu said, helping Kuwabara up from the ground while maintaining a firm grip on him.

"Yusuke if you don't get off of me right now, I swear to god I will murder you," Hiei said viciously, struggling against Yusuke's grip.

"How about you kick my ass after the fire's out? You won't do any good running into the hospital now; you'll just get in the way," Yusuke said, trying to keep his grip on Hiei.

"There's Yukina!" Keiko cried, causing all of their heads to whip toward the hospital. Yukina was being carried out in the arms of a fireman, burns visible on her hands and calves.

"YUKINA!" Hiei and Kuwabara screamed.

* * *

Is Yukina alive or will Kuwabara and Hiei lose their sanity when they lose her? Reviews please.


	28. Deep breaths and a desire for revenge

Heart-stopping. That was the only word Keiko could think of to describe the moment when the firemen had brought Yukina out of the burning building. She could almost feel the hearts of everyone stop for a beat before picking back up in overtime as the doctors swarmed Yukina. Hiei and Kuwabara rushed toward her, fear and worry etched on their face. They saw her laying on the stretcher unconscious and burned before she was rushed into an ambulance and whisked away to the nearest hospital.

Now they all sat in the hall of the hospital: Keiko sitting next to Yusuke, her hand clenching his, her eyes filled with unshed tears, Kuwabara anxiously pacing up and down, his hand constantly running through his hair, Shizuru sitting near Keiko, an unlit cigarette between her lips, and Hiei, sitting perfectly still, his eyes filled with pain and panic. Chu had left after getting an urgent call from his teammates and Kurama was racing through the streets of Japan, rushing to the hospital.

Hiei wanted to scream, wanted to hit something, wanted to kill something. The entire situation seemed so surreal to him. That couldn't be his baby sister in the other room, fighting to survive. That couldn't have been his beautiful little sister trapped inside an inferno, refusing to leave while she thought there were still patients trapped inside. That couldn't be his precious Yukina who he was one heartbeat away from losing. It couldn't be and yet it was. Hiei felt paralyzed; he was so used to protecting Yukina, fighting for her that he felt helpless now. There was nothing he could kill for her; there was nothing he could do to protect her. This was a fight she had to win on her own or she wouldn't win at all. _'Don't leave me here alone Yukina,'_ he thought desperately.

Kuwabara was ready to bash his head against the white hospital walls as he paced up and down the hallway. He felt as if he had spent an eternity in the in the halls, waiting for the doctors to tell them something, _anything._ The only thing the doctors had said as they wheeled Yukina into the emergency room hadn't even been addressed to them, but to the other doctors. Kuwabara only caught snippets of their words but it was enough to make him want to pull his hair out in frustration and worry. "Unconscious…burns…severe smoke inhalation…stopped breathing." All Kuwabara wanted to know was if the love of his life was going to live. The love of his life, his soulmate. Kuwabara had known from the first time he met her that she was the one, she was his soulmate. He had never believed that stupid red pinky string story, but he understood what they meant after he met Yukina. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, it was inescapable. He loved her and she loved him; there was no way the universe would separate two people who were meant to be, right?

Yusuke felt sick to his stomach with worry as he watched the second hand of the hospital clock slowly tick by. He knew the life of the Black Dragons was a dangerous one, but he never thought he'd be sitting in a hospital because _Yukina _was hurt. Something about it didn't seem right; why hadn't the building's sprinklers gone off when the fire started? Something was suspicious about the entire situation and Yusuke was going to find out what. _'If the Red Demons have anything to do with this, heads are gonna roll,_' he thought angrily._ 'Especially if Yukina…' _The thought of Yukina dying made Yusuke's heart clench painfully. He removed his hand from Keiko's grasp, wrapping it around her shoulder. As much as he might not want to admit it, there was a good chance that the Red Demons were involved and that put everyone, including Keiko, in danger. Yusuke kissed Keiko's head as she leaned against his shoulder, her body tense with worry. The Toguros had declared war on Yusuke and his team and Yusuke would be damned if anyone else he loved got hurt.

Everyone's heads snapped up at the sound of footsteps, Kurama running toward them. "Sorry I took so long to get here," he said as he tried to catch his breath. "How's Yukina doing?"

"We don't know; no one's told us anything yet," Yusuke replied._ 'No news is good news, right?'_

Kurama nodded, taking a seat next to Hiei. As close as he was to Yusuke and Kuwabara, if Kurama had to choose someone as his best friend, it would be Hiei. He couldnt explain why but Hiei seemed like an old, kindred soul like himself.

As time slowly approached the one hour mark since they came to the hospital, a doctor walked out of the room, removing his gloves. Everyone got to their feet, their hearts pounding as Hiei and Kuwabara rushed toward the doctor.

"How is she doctor?" Hiei asked.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Kuwabara said.

"Yukina's a fighter; I can tell you that much. The burns on her forearms and calves are pretty bad," the doctor said, his brow furrowing with worry. The fire must have gotten to her while she was unconscious; they'll leave scars. She also suffers from severe smoke inhalation; she stopped breathing twice on her way here. We have her hooked up to a respirator for now."

"So shes gonna be okay?" Kuwabara asked anxiously.

"Shes going to need some time to recover but yes she should be alright. Her biggest problems at the moment are breathing and her potential for an infection from the burns. We're going to move her to a room and then you can all see her; we've sedated her for now."

"Hey doc," Yusuke said, getting his attention, "make sure it's the best room you have, no matter the cost." The doctor nodded before walking back into the room.

Hiei felt as if his knees would give out as he looked at Yukina's fragile body lying on the large hospital bed. He sat on one side of the bed, Kuwabara on the other side, as he held Yukina's hand, her soft, gentle one trapped between his rough, dangerous ones. How many times had he held her hand as children? He miht have lost the chance to hold her hand again today. But she was here, pale, sedated, hurt, but still here.

"Their head," Hiei sad softly, his voice barely reaching anyone's ears.

"What was that Hiei?" Kurama asked.

"Whoever did this, I want their head," Hiei said looking up, his eyes filled with barely contained rage.

* * *

An angry Hiei is a scary Hiei. I think the Toguros should be on guard. Reviews please


	29. Vulnerable

Botan groaned as she heard her doorbell ring. All she wanted to do was sleep; after receiving a frantic phone call from Keiko, she had spent the afternoon working in the bakery to cover her shift. It had been a long, tiring day and all Botan wanted to do was lie in her soft bed and sleep until next week. _'Who on earth could be at my door at this hour?'_ she thought. _'It's already 11.' _

She walked slowly to her door, her eyes only half open. She smiled as she opened her door quickly. "Grandmother, what are you doing here so late?" she asked as her guest walked into her apartment.

"Do I need a reason to visit my granddaughter?" the woman asked.

"I just didn't expect you so late at night; did you take the bus? I would have driven to get you," Botan said as she began to make tea.

"No I walked here," the old woman replied.

"You walked?" Botan said incredulously, the teacup nearly slipping from her hand. "That's quite far."

"Maybe for you, but it was a refreshing walk for me. And I have a friend in the hospital whom I need to visit in the morning."

* * *

Yusuke sighed as he opened the apartment door, happy to be home. The day had been absolutely exhausting to say the least. Hiei and Kuwabara had insisted on staying in the hospital; at least the hospital room was large enough for the three of them. The entire team could have stayed in the room without feeling cramped. Kurama had left to do research about possible headquarters of the Red Demons based on Jin and Toya's information. That left Yusuke alone for the time with Keiko.

Keiko squeezed Yusuke's hand gently as they stood in the entryway of the apartment. Yusuke looked at her, worried thoughts leaving his eyes. Yusuke looked so tired, the spark of mischief gone from his deep, brown eyes. The day had been draining, leaving everyone haggard looking. Keiko was sure she didn't look any better. "Come on Yusuke; I'll make us some sandwiches," Keiko said, tugging him forward.

Yusuke nodded, snapping out of his thoughts as he followed her into the kitchen. He perched on the counter, watching as she made them a late night dinner with her delicate hands. Yusuke realized he was staring as he watched Keiko putting together the sandwiches, but he couldn't force himself to look away. It could have easily been Keiko who was targeted, not Yukina and that thought chilled him to the bone. He hopped off the counter, moving to stand behind Keiko.

"Yusuke, do you want cheese on your sandwich?" Keiko asked, jumping slightly when she saw Yusuke standing behind her. "Don't do that Yusuke! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Yusuke took the butter knife from her hand, setting it on the counter before turning her to face him. He took her face gently in his hands, his fingertips brushing across her cheeks, watching the blush rise in her face. He slowly lowered his face to hers, watching her eyes close before he gently pressed his lips to her. There was no ravenous hunger to the kiss, no all-consuming passion. It was sweet and chaste; a kiss to show how grateful he was to have her, a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god was keeping her safe for him. It was innocent. Yusuke broke the kiss almost as soon as it started, bracing his forehead against hers.

Keiko put her arms around Yusuke's neck, playing with the hair on the back of his head as his forehead rested against hers. The kiss had taken her by surprise. She was used to kisses that made her long for more, that made her stretch up on her toes to reach him. But this kiss was different: sweet and tender and full of vulnerability.

"Cheese on my sandwich please Keiko," he said, breaking the moment as he stood upright. Keiko nodded, going back to the food.

* * *

Keiko sighed contentedly as she sat on Yusuke's lap, her head resting against his shoulder. The television was on, but they weren't watching it, both of them wrapped in their own thoughts. They just wanted to feel each other's presences, to know the person they loved was with them.

_ 'Love,'_ Keiko thought. Somewhere along their relationship, whether it was during the first or the second time, Keiko had fallen in love with Yusuke. They had never said it out loud to each other, but they didn't need to; they knew they loved each other, everyone knew it. Keiko knew it from the way he always draped his coat over her shoulders when they went for walks at night, how he tucked the blanket around her and kissed her forehead when he got out of bed before her, how he brushed her bangs from her eyes as she baked, the way he held her against his chest as they slept at night, her head tucked under his chin. Some things didn't need to be said.

Yusuke felt when Keiko began to doze off, her head leaning against the side of his neck. _'Time for bed,'_ he thought, wrapping his arms around Keiko as he got off the couch.

"Yusuke," she mumbled, sleepily draping her arms around his shoulders.

"Let's go to bed Keiko; it's late." Yusuke yawned as he gently laid Keiko on the bed, sitting on the edge of it. His mind was exhausted as his body felt, but he couldn't find it in him to sleep.

"Yusuke," Keiko called softly, sitting up. "You okay?"

Yusuke ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "I don't know."

Keiko moved behind Yusuke, wrapping her arms around his torso. "You know how much I care about you right?"

Yusuke smiled slightly, "Yeah, I know," he replied, placing his hands over hers. That was one of the reasons he loved Keiko so much: she knew when to push him for information and she knew when to leave him alone with his thoughts. _'I'm one lucky bastard,' _he thought.

"Come on, back to bed," Yusuke said, laying on the bed and pulling her close. "I have a feeling tomorrow is gonna be a long day." Yusuke could feel sleep take hold of him as Keiko snuggled against him, slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

I thought after so many heart-poudning (i like to think they were) chapters you guys deserved a bit of fluff. Reviews please.


	30. It's a small world after all

'_This is a rather large room,'_ Botan thought as she followed her grandmother into the hospital room. She was surprised to see a young woman lying on the hospital bed, watched over by two men. _'When Grandmother said she had to visit a friend in the hospital, I assumed it was someone older. Who are these people?'_ The man with the black hair frightened her for some unknown reason, even though he had yet to acknowledge her presence in the room. There was just a menacing air about him that made Botan mentally promise not to get on his bad side. The other man with orange hair stood speaking to her grandmother; he seemed normal enough to her._ 'At least I'm not the only person who likes unusual hair colors,'_ Botan thought as she looked at the sea-foam green hair of the hospital patient. She was in good company between the patient's hair, her own blue hair and her grandmother's pink hair. Botan couldn't figure out why the girl would be in the hospital; she looked perfectly healthy, perhaps a bit pale. The only thing that seemed out of place were the bandages that wound around her forearms.

"And this is my granddaughter, Botan," the old woman said drawing Botan from her thoughts.

"Granddaughter?" the black-haired man said, shocked.

"I guess funny hair colors must run in the family. Hey, I'm Kuwabara," the man said, extending his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Botan," she replied.

"She's not my granddaughter by blood, you fool," the old woman said, shaking her head.

"Morning everyone. We brought breakfast," Keiko said as she walked into the hospital room with Yusuke. "Botan, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"Hey look, Grandma's here too," Yusuke said. "Didn't expect to see you here Genkai. What brings you down from the mountain?"

"Grandmother, why is Yusuke calling you Grandma?" Botan asked.

"Whoa, why are you calling her Grandmother?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm so confused," Kuwabara said, sitting down.

"You would be," Hiei replied. "Tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?"

"Good morning everyone. Have I missed anything?" Kurama asked as he walked in.

"Everyone, take a seat," Genkai said, exasperated. "We've got some sorting out to do."

* * *

"So to think all these years I've been calling you Grandma, you've actually been a grandma," Yusuke laughed, wrapping his arms around Keiko's waist as she sat on his lap.

"In a sense, yes," Genkai said. "I found Botan abandoned when she was just a baby. I took her to the proper authorities, but I've always stayed in her life to some degree. So I became a grandmotherly figure to her."

"It's a small, small world," Botan said, rubbing her head. "So we're all connected somehow. Genkai is my grandmother-"

"And an old trainer of mine," Yusuke said, unsure of how much Genkai had told Botan. He did not want to be the person who let that cat out of the bag; Genkai would murder him.

"And I'm dating Yusuke now," Keiko chimed in.

"And you're my best friend," Botan ended. "God I didn't think I was gonna learn all of this today. Who's the woman in the bed?" she asked curiously.

"That's Hiei's younger twin, Yukina," Yusuke said. "And also Kuwabara's girlfriend."

Botan felt her eyes widen as she looked back and forth between Hiei and Yukina. They seemed to be nothing alike to her, but she'd take everyone's word. "So why is she in the hospital?" She shuddered and took a step back as she saw Hiei's face cloud over with rage and hatred.

"There was a fire in the hospital where she worked and she passed out trying to get her patients out," Kuwabara said.

"Hey Genkai, how much does Botan know?" Yusuke whispered.

"She knows nothing and we're gonna keep it that way dimwit," Genkai replied. "Keiko, Botan, could you excuse us for a few minutes? The boys and I have business to discuss."

"I thought you were done working Grandmother," Botan said.

"I am, but I'm always willing to lend a helping hand."

"Okay, we'll see you guys later," Keiko said as she and Botan walked out of the hospital room.

"Well I never thought Tokyo was so small with millions of people in it," Botan laughed as they walked down the hall.

"Hopefully it won't get any smaller," Keiko replied.

"Okay dimwits, what do we know?" Genkai asked once she was sure Keiko and Botan were out of hearing range.

"The fire is being declared an intentional fire, although they don't know who set the fire or why they set it," Hiei said. "They found an accelerant chemical on the floors of the burnt wing of the building and the sprinklers were tampered with."

"I knew it," Yusuke muttered angrily.

"The wing that burnt down, is that the wing Yukina always works in?" Genkai asked.

"Yeah, that's where she's always worked," Kuwabara said.

"Then it's not a stretch to imagine that someone was trying to go after Yukina. Still do research on the patients who were in that wing of the building and see if there's anyone else that could have been a possible target. Do we have any other information?"

"I've found a few possible locations for the Red Demon's headquarters. Jin and Toya's rumors seem to be correct. There are five buildings in the city that might be their day headquarters and four outside the city that could be where they stay at night," Kurama said.

"We should just burn all the buildings down," Hiei said venomously.

"We can't just go around burning down buildings, Hiei," Yusuke said. "We're not trying to hurt innocent people."

"Yes, Yusuke's right, Hiei. We need to do some reconnaissance to determine which buildings are the right ones," Kurama said. "It's gonna take a bit of time though."

"Do we have time to do recon?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"You really don't have a choice," Genkai said.

"Guess it's time to go on the offensive," Yusuke said, a devilish grin on his face.

* * *

The boys are getting a plan together. Are they gonna make a move in time or will the Toguros strike first? Reviews please


	31. Family Time

Hello readers, it's ninjanervana. I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so i might miss a day or two of updating if i dont get better. I'll post an author's note if that's the case but i just wanted to give you all a headsup. Happy reading!

* * *

"Hiei, I can walk on my own," Yukina complained as Hiei carried her into the apartment. After spending a week in the hospital, the doctors cleared Yukina to go home, reminding her to change her bandages regularly and to come straight back to the hospital at the first sign of infection. Yukina was simply thrilled to be going home after being trapped in the hospital bed for so long, no matter how soft it was. However, she didn't think Hiei would carry her from her hospital room to the car and from the car to the apartment. So much for getting the chance to stretch her legs. "The doctors said I'm fine to walk by myself."

"The doctors could be a bunch of incompetent morons for all I know," Hiei replied as he set her on the couch.

"No they aren't; you would have never let them treat me if you truly believed they were incompetent," Yukina said, smiling.

"Oh Yukina, let Hiei baby you a little bit," Keiko said as she came out of the kitchen. "You're lucky you have a big brother that cares so much about you. I think it's cute," she said, earning a glare from Hiei. Hiei was many things: dangerous, ruthless, deadly, menacing, cruel, but cute was not one of them.

"I'm going to take a shower; call for me if you need anything," Hiei said, walking away.

"Don't worry, Kazuma will take care of me," Yukina said, looking up at her boyfriend.

"Always baby," he replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he sat next to her.

"Dinner's in an hour," Keiko called to Hiei's retreating form.

"Hey where's Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

"I sent him out to get me something from the store with Kurama. It's Yukina's first night home from the hospital so I've planned a big meal," Keiko said happily. "A welcome home dinner."

"Oh Keiko, you really didn't have to go to all this trouble," Yukina said, surprised.

"I absolutely had to; the house wasn't the same without you here."

* * *

Yusuke crossed his arms as he and Kurama walked through the grocery store, a disgruntled look on his face. He was Yusuke Urameshi, the scourge of Sariyaski Junior High when he was growing up, ruthless figher, fearsome leader of the Southern District of the Black Dragons. He should not be in the grocery store picking up food for his girlfriend to cook.

"Stupid Keiko," Yusuke mumbled as Kurama checked something off the shopping list.

"Unhappy Yusuke?" Kurama teased. He knew his friend was unhappy to be grocery shopping, but he really didn't have many choices. Kurama tagged along to make it easier on his friend.

'_Yusuke Urameshi, if you don't go buy the groceries like I asked you to, your bed's gonna be cold and your stomach's gonna be empty for the next two weeks!' Keiko had shouted after arguing with Yusuke for ten minutes about doing the groceries. _

"I should not be here grocery shopping," Yusuke said. "If Keiko wants to cook then she should by the groceries."

"Yusuke, you do realize if you worked with that theory we all would have starved while Yukina was in the hospital," Kurama said. "She does enough work helping to keep the apartment clean and cook for us all; the very least we could do is get the groceries for her. There must be balance for a relationship to work."

"Yeah, I guess so," Yusuke grumbled._ 'Damnit, why does Kurama have to be so smart?'_

"Plus you don't wanna sleep in an empty bed," Kurama said before running down the aisle, an angry Yusuke running after him.

* * *

"Everyone," Yukina said as they all sat in the living room. Dinner had just been finished; Keiko wasn't kidding when she said she had planned a banquet. After seven courses, they all sat in the living room, stuffed till bursting point. "I really want to thank you all for everything you've done for me since I've been in the hospital. From you all taking shifts to watch me, and don't think I didn't notice they were shifts," she laughed. Yukina was aware that the guys thought the purpose of the fire was to kill her and while she was terrified, she knew the guys would protect her. "But I appreciate everything you guys have done. You guys are my family and I love you all," Yukina ended, getting a bit choked up.

"This calls for a group hug," Keiko laughed, getting up from her seat to hug Yukina. The boys remained in their seats, looking at each other. "Obviously you guys don't understand what a group hug is."

"Obviously you forgot that guys don't do group hugs," Yusuke retorted.

"He does have a point, but I know they love me anyway," Yukina laughed. "I propose a toast," she said, lifting her glass. "To the family we're given, the family we find, and the love that binds us all together, may we never be separated."

"Cheers!" they all exclaimed, lifting their glasses.

"Do you have to go?" Keiko asked, kissing Yusuke again. She knew no amount of kissing would keep Yusuke from leaving that night, but it never hurt to try.

"I have to Keiko," he replied, brushing her bangs back. "The guys and I need to go on this mission, but we won't be gone for long."

"Promise?"

"I promise, I'll be home before the sun comes up."

"That won't be long?" Keiko laughed. "I guess I shouldn't wait up for you huh?"

"No, don't lose any sleep because of me. Go to bed when you're tired and you'll find me in bed when you wake up," Yusuke said, removing her arms from around his neck. "Okay do I have everything," he mused aloud, patting down his pockets. "Forgot it." Yusuke walked into the fireproof safe in the back of his closet, spinning the knob, and removing a gun.

"Oh my god Yusuke, you have a gun!" Keiko exclaimed. She realized he probably had a gun, but she had never seen it before.

"Yeah, but I don't like using it," he replied as he strapped it to the small of his back. "It's more for emergencies."

"You will be careful right?" Keiko said, her brow creasing with worry.

"I promise I will," he replied, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back for you tonight."

* * *

Will Yusuke keep his promise? Reviews please


	32. Every Second

Ninjanervana warning: Keiko and Yusuke get a bit *ahem* suggestive in this chapter. There's nothing descriptive or anything, but i wanted to give my readers a heads up.

* * *

"Bui, I thought you said Hiei's sister would not escape the hospital alive," Toguro said, his anger masked slightly.

"She shouldn't have survived," Bui replied. "I disabled the sprinklers and spread the accelerant throughout the entire wing; she should have been engulfed in flames and died."

"It's no wonder she survived," Elder Toguro laughed. "She is just like her older brother; what she lacks in physical strength I presume she makes up in intelligence and determination. So what now brother?"

"We'll simply need a new plan," Toguro replied. "You can show yourself out Bui. I need time to think."

* * *

"You're still awake Keiko?" Yukina's voice asked softly as she entered the living room.

Keiko turned toward her voice, smiling slightly. "Yes, I couldn't sleep," she answered, turning back to the window. Yusuke's apartment had an amazing view of the skyline that she had never stopped to look at. Now her restlessness gave her the opportunity to enjoy it.

"I was like that too when Kazuma used to go on missions late at night," Yukina replied. "Let's have some tea."

"Was it hard knowing they were out there in danger?" Keiko asked, leaning against the counter. "You had to worry twice as much; you have Kuwabara and Hiei out there fighting."

"Oh yes, I was a nervous mess at first. It was hard enough when Hiei joined the gang. No matter how many times I asked him to stay, he would insist on going on missions and working. Eventually you worry less, but there's always this nagging feeling at the back of your head. Then when I began dating Kazuma, it was like the cycle started all over again," she said, shaking her head as she poured the hot water. "It is hard, but it always will be. This is the life our boys have chosen to lead; what else can we do but stand beside them?"

"You're right, but it's so hard waiting for him at night. I feel like a nervous wreck," Keiko said, picking up her tea. "Even before I really knew what he was doing I stayed awake worrying about him, if he was safe or injured."

"The boys have had their fair share of injuries. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I became a nurse. Who would they have gone to if I wasn't there? It would be a huge problem to constantly take them to the hospital; someone would notice."

"Do they get hurt a lot?" Keiko asked worriedly.

"Not usually. As much as the boys mess around, they're always careful when they work," Yukina said with a reassuring smile. "Sure they get cuts and scrapes, but it's rare that they're seriously hurt."

"Then I guess I'll just have to play the waiting game then," Keiko said, sipping her tea.

"Don't worry Keiko, you're in good company," Yukina replied, leaning against the counter next to Keiko.

* * *

Yusuke wiped the soot from his forehead as he drove back to the apartment, his body aching slightly. The mission had gone off without a hitch thanks to Kurama's planning. The team had intercepted a drug shipment bound for the Red Demon gang, hoping to gain some information from the shipper. Unfortunately the man didn't know where the shipment was bound for or if it was even going to the headquarters. The team had to settle for setting the drugs on fire, basking in the flames it created. _'Well at least we got Hiei's pyromaniac streak out of him,' _he thought, smiling slightly. It may have seemed like a petty move, but it was the best way to get the attention from the Red Demons and get some spiteful revenge. _'All in all, not a bad evening, except the building burning down on us.' _ The building where the drugs were being stored had gone up nearly as quickly as the drugs had, forcing the boys to flee from the building. _'Not our smartest moment.'_ Still they got the mission finished and that was the important part.

"Home sweet home," Yusuke said as they walked into the apartment building lobby, nodding at the doorman. The doorman paused momentarily, taking in their soot-covered bodies before nodding back at them. The boys piled into the elevator, going their separate ways as they entered the apartment. Yusuke entered his room silently, expecting Keiko to be asleep at three in the morning. Not sitting awake in bed like she was. "Keiko, why the hell are you-" Yusuke's words were cut off as Keiko flung herself at him, her lips crashing onto his. _'This is one hell of a welcome home.' _

Keiko flung herself at Yusuke as he walked into the room, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull him in for a kiss. After staying awake waiting for him and talking to Yukina, Keiko realized every second with Yusuke was precious. His job was incredibly dangerous; there was always the chance that he wouldn't come home one night. She couldn't ask him to stop being in the Black Dragons; they were a part of him and he would never leave them.

Which led to their current position of Keiko backed up against Yusuke's dresser as they kissed fiercely. She was vaguely aware of Yusuke opening a drawer and slipping something inside. _'Probably his gun,' _she thought, shivering at the thought.

Yusuke placed his hands on Keiko's hips, easily lifting her onto his dresser. Her legs wrapped around his waist, automatically pulling him closer as she pulled his shirt off. He slowly trailed his fingertips from her ankles to her knees, the passion of the kiss driving him forward. "So what brought on this wonderful welcoming?" Yusuke whispered against her neck, delighting in the pleasured whimpers Keiko made as he slowly kissed down her neck, teasing her.

"Making every second with you count," Keiko gasped, Yusuke's lips wreaking havoc on her thought process.

"Every second?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Keiko's eyes were a perfect reflection of his: filled with fire and passion and need and love.

"Every second Yusuke," she replied, arching her back as Yusuke's fingertips traced patterns across the small of her back.

Yusuke swept her off the dresser, placing her gently on the bed before covering her body with his. "Then let's make it count," he whispered seductively, pulling a blanket over both of them.

* * *

Yusuke and Keiko are getting...frisky. But everyone needs a bit of love, even during a war. Reviews please.


	33. A Whole New Side

"Karasu, I have another mission for you," Toguro said, putting his cigarette out.

"And what would that be?" Karasu replied, adjusting his jacket.

"I want you to fetch something for me," Toguro said as he slid an envelope across the table. "You'll know it when you see it."

Karasu smiled as he opened the envelope, taking the picture out. "And you want this delivered in one piece or does it not matter?"

"No, I want this in one piece, as undamaged as possible. I don't care how difficult that makes it for you; I want no unnecessary damage done. And I want it done by midnight."

"Understood Toguro," Karasu replied, walking out of the office.

* * *

Keiko sighed contentedly as she felt Yusuke's fingers caress her stomach slowly, causing goose bumps to appear on her skin. She was blissfully tired after an evening with Yusuke and had no regrets. _'Making every second count has been my best idea ever,' _she thought happily. The sun had been up for quite a while, but Keiko was happy to lie in bed with Yusuke's arms wrapped around him as he slept.

"Morning," Yusuke said softly, kissing her bare shoulder. Yusuke felt perfectly at peace after a night with Keiko; nothing else mattered but her and him, the happiness he felt when he was with her, the fire she created within him, the need that only she could quench, the perfection of them being together. He couldn't remember feeling that calm and happy and relaxed; he never wanted it to end. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," she replied, wrapping the blanket more snuggly around them. "How'd you sleep?"

"Wonderfully," he said, stroking her skin gently. "I'm surprised I got any sleep at all with you," he said mischievously.

"Oh hush," Keiko said, rolling over to face him. She ran her fingers gently over his cheeks, over the slight smirk on his lips. "You know you enjoyed it."

"Trust me, I am not complaining," he replied, kissing her fingertips. "Think we have enough time?" he asked, glancing at the clock.

"You are insatiable," Keiko laughed, swatting his shoulder playfully.

"You make me hungry in a completely new way," Yusuke said, his eyes darkening. Keiko felt her stomach fill with butterflies as she looked into his eyes, his lips capturing hers as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Then we should satisfy your hunger, shouldn't we?" Keiko whispered, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Yusuke growled, rolling on top of Keiko as they kissed passionately.

"Yo Urameshi, are you awake yet?" Kuwabara shouted, pounding on the door. "It's almost ten, get up already."

"Go away Kuwabara," Yusuke shouted back, kissing Keiko's neck softly. "Come back in a few hours."

"If you don't get outta bed now, I'm coming in," Kuwabara threatened.

"If you even touch my doorknob, I swear to god I'm gonna kill you," Yusuke said dangerously, wrapping the blanket tightly around Keiko's body before getting out of bed.

"I'll count to three, one-" Yusuke growled softly, getting to his feet.

"Two-" Yusuke reached into his drawer, pulling out his gun and taking off the safety.

"Yusuke, what are you doing?" Keiko asked worriedly. _'He couldn't be that angry could he?'_

"Three-" Kuwabara said, reaching for the doorknob as Yusuke opened the door slightly, pointing his gun at him.

"Didn't I tell you not to touch my doorknob?" he said threateningly.

"U-Urameshi, what's with the gun? You can't be that pissed off that I woke you," Kuwabara said, taking a step back.

"Keiko is in my room and I would appreciate you not barging into my bedroom first thing in the morning," Yusuke said.

"Oh Keiko's in there? Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because it's none of your goddamn business. Don't barge into my room unless you want to eat the muzzle of my gun," Yusuke said, closing his room on Kuwabara.

"Were you really gonna shoot him Yusuke?" Keiko asked as she buttoned her shirt up.

"I should now, you're all dressed," Yusuke said sadly. "Are you leaving?"

"I have to," she replied, kissing him softly. "I need to go home, shower and head to work."

"Stupid Kuwabara," Yusuke muttered as he pulled on his clothes. "I coulda stalled you for at least another hour."

"You could have stalled me for the entire day if you tried," Keiko laughed. "Hurry up, I need you to drive me home."

* * *

"So a little birdy told me you spent the night at Yusuke's house," Botan said as she leaned against the bakery counter.

Keiko blushed, turning away from her friend. "Who told you that?"

"No one did; I was just speculating," Botan replied, laughing. "But judging from the redness of your face it seems that I guessed right. Why Keiko Yukimura, did you spend the night in your boyfriend's apartment? It seems like your rebellious streak is coming out, a tad late, but still rebellion all the same."

"It's not rebellion if I don't live in my parent's house anymore," Keiko retorted. "Plus it isn't strange for us anymore." Keiko wanted to bang her head against the glass counter as the words flew out of her mouth. Now she was in trouble.

"Why isn't it strange for you anymore? Have you guys slept over a lot?" Botan asked.

"Not _a lot_, just a few times. He's slept over at my house; I've slept over at his house. It's not often or anything," Keiko lied. In truth, she and Yusuke spent nearly every night together; whether it was at his apartment or hers, when it was time to sleep odds were that they were going to be sleeping in the same bed.

"This is a whole new side of you that Yusuke's brought out; I think I like it," Botan said with a smile. "You're happy and you've got a wild side now, balance at last. Anyhow, I've got to be off, things to do, cute boys to look for and what not. I'll call you later," she said as she walked out of the bakery.

"Bye Botan," Keiko said, wiping down the counter. It was almost closing time, just a few more minutes and she could head home. "Welcome to my – oh no," Keiko said as she looked up.

"Ah Ms. Yukimura, you remember me," Karasu said with an evil smile.

* * *

*dramatic music* what's gonna happen next? Reviews please or even suggestions if you have them


	34. Prey

Keiko felt her blood run cold as she looked up at the face that sometimes appeared in her nightmares.

"Ah Ms. Yukimura, you remember me," Karasu said with an evil smile.

Keiko took a step back, grabbing her bag off the stool next to her. "Get out," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Why Ms. Yukimura, you hurt me with your cold reception," Karasu said, taking a step toward her. He always enjoyed toying with his prey before closing in for the kill. Keiko was no exception; given her connections, Karasu wanted to toy with her more.

* * *

"Are you dying dimwit?" Genkai asked as she placed her tea cup on the coffee table.

"No, why would I be? You're the old hag; you should die first," Yusuke replied.

"You've been rubbing your chest for the past ten minutes, or haven't you noticed? They say the mind is the first thing to go when old age sets in," Genkai said, smirking.

"Then how is it you're still lucid enough to insult me?" Yusuke said. In truth he hadn't really noticed that he had been rubbing his chest until she pointed it out. There was a dull ache in his chest that wouldn't go away for some reason. He was fine the entire drive to Genkai's house; the ache had started suddenly as he sat with her to drink tea. _'Something's not right,'_ he thought, getting to his feet. "Grandma, I've got to go."

"Don't tell me I've hurt your feelings," she teased.

"As if," Yusuke said, shaking his head. "Just something's not feeling right; I'm gonna head home and see if anything's going on."

Genkai nodded, understanding. Yusuke might be dimwit to her, but his intuition was usually spot on. "Call me if there are any problems."

"Look at you getting all concerned," Yusuke laughed half-heartedly as he walked out.

* * *

"You'll hurt my feelings if you keep backing up, Ms. Yukimura," Karasu said as he watched Keiko bump into the wall behind her. "Or is it Mrs. Urameshi? I guess not yet judging by the blush on your cheeks."

"Yusuke's coming to pick me up," Keiko said, trying to keep her voice steady. "He'll be here soon."

"Is that so? Well I guess this evening is going to be more entertaining than I thought. I'm quite glad Toguro sent me now."

"What do you want? Why are you here?" Keiko asked, trying to stall as she tried to think of a plan.

"I'm here for you Keiko. May I call you Keiko? We've met more than once now," Karasu said. "I think it's somewhat impolite to just refer to you as Yusuke's girlfriend, don't you?"

"Yusuke's gonna kill you when he gets here," Keiko said nervously.

"Yusuke isn't coming; you're simply stalling for time. And admirable plan I will admit; I guess someone on Urameshi's team had to have some sort of brains," Karasu said, shrugging. "Besides Kurama of course; I'd love to get my hands on him, figure out how he constantly knows where our shipments will be and when they'll come in. But they'll all come soon enough."

"What do you mean?" Keiko asked, covertly reaching onto the shelf behind her.

"They'll all come looking for you once they know we have you," Karasu said, smirking. "It's part of the plan."

"Screw your plan," Keiko said, throwing a large glass cake stand at Karasu. He ducked at the last possible moment, the cake stand shattering the front window of the bakery. Keiko used the momentary distraction to run out from behind the counter, sprinting to the door.

"I don't think so," Karasu said, grabbing her arm tightly. "You're not going anywhere."

"LET GO!" Keiko said, pulling the Taser Yusuke had given her out of her bag and shocking him. She had been slightly against the idea of it when Yusuke had given it to her, but now she thanked her lucky stars that he insisted on it. She ran out of the bakery, her heart beating out of her chest, her blood laced with fear and adrenaline. Keiko fumbled for her phone in her bag, glancing quickly over her shoulder. Her stomach dropped when she saw Karasu stumbling after her, quickly gaining speed as he shook off the effects of the shocks. _'What is he made of?'_ she thought frantically, finally finding her phone buried at the bottom of her bag.

Yusuke felt as if someone was squeezing his heart as he raced back to Tokyo, his palms sweating. He tried calling Keiko twice, but the calls went to voicemail. _'She's probably just busy closing up,' _he thought as he sped through the streets._ 'She'll call me back soon enough,'_ he tried to convince himself.

Keiko pressed the call button as Karasu grabbed her, swinging her into a narrow alleyway. "How dare you shock me," he said, slapping her across the face. The phone clattered to the floor at her feet.

Yusuke sighed in relief as he saw Keiko's name appear on his phone screen. "Hey Keiko, what took you so long?"

Keiko saw stars as Karasu slapped her, her neck snapping back. The situation was too familiar for her: dragged into a dark alley way but some unknown, dangerous man, being hit by them. All she was missing was Yusuke rescuing her. She glanced down at her phone as she hear a faint voice, eyes widening as she saw the call had gone through. "Yusuke! Yusuke help me!" she screamed before Karasu clamped a hand over her mouth.

Keiko's frantic screams made Yusuke's heart stutter, his blood freezing in his veins. "Keiko what's wrong! Answer me damnit Keiko, where are you!" he screamed into the phone as he raced toward her bakery.

Keiko bit down hard on Karasu's hand, ignoring the slight taste of blood in her mouth. "Yusuke it's the Red Demons! Near the bak-" Keiko's words were cut off as Karasu punched her, knocking her unconscious. Karasu picked up the phone as Keiko's limp body fell to the concrete with a thud.

"Hello Yusuke," Karasu said wickedly.

"Who the hell are you! Where's Keiko!" Yusuke said angrily. "If you've touched one hair-"

"Your lovely girlfriend is currently unconscious on the floor. I must say she put up quite a fight; you should be quite proud of her," he said, looking down at his slightly bleeding hand. "I'll have to repay her for the damage later."

"LEAVE KEIKO ALONE!" Yusuke screamed into the phone. "She's not a part of this."

"Oh yes she is Yusuke," Karasu replied, smiling slightly. "You brought her into this world; she's part of the game now. And what a good piece she'll be. But don't worry, Toguro will take good care of her. We'll be calling you soon Yusuke," Karasu said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

*dramatic music* The Red Demons now have Keiko. Will Yusuke be able to save her in time or will something horrible happen to Keiko? Click that pretty blue button below and tell me what you think/feel/wanna know/think should happen/random thoughts about this fic/basically anything


	35. Small Talk and Anxiety

Why do so many of my readers think I'm going to let Karasu rape Keiko o.o I could never do that to her; it'd freak me out to write and i already have enough nightmares as it is. So rest assured readers, Keiko will not be sexually assaulted.

-ninjanervana

* * *

"KEIKO!" Yusuke screamed as the phone went dead. He punched the steering wheel, causing the material to buckle under the force. He had screwed up and screwed up big time. This was what he feared the most, that the Red Demons would go after Keiko like they had gone after Yukina, that she would get hurt in the crossfire. Now his worst nightmare was coming true. _'They have Keiko,'_ Yusuke thought angrily, his vision flickering to red for a second. His heart warred between anger, hate, worry and guilt. He should have never put her in such danger; he told himself that multiple times, but still he dragged her into his world. Now her life was on the line.

His heart clenched as he passed her bakery, taking in her shattered front window. In any other circumstance, he might have smiled, knowing Keiko wouldn't go down without a fight. But tonight it wasn't enough for her to protect herself. _'I will save you Keiko,' _he thought, speeding to the apartment. _'I promise I will find you and I will make the bastards who took you pay.'_

* * *

Keio groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, her head pounding. _'Where am I?'_ she wondered, her vision dark. Memories of what happened flooded her head, making the pounding worse. She could remember everything now: the creepy Red Demon guy showing up at the bakery, throwing the glass cake stand at him and shattering her window, tasing him and running out of her store, trying to find her phone, Yusuke's voice. _'Yusuke!'_ she thought_. 'He knows I was kidnapped; he'll come for me.' _

_ 'And how exactly is he supposed to find you?'_ a pessimistic voice in her head said. _'You don't even know where you are; it's pretty hopeless.'_

_ 'No it is not!'_ she argued back. _'Yusuke will find me, Kurama will help him.' _Keiko took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself by listing what she knew. _'Okay I'm blindfolded,' _she thought, feeling the cloth wrapped around her head. _'My hands are tied behind me.' _She struggled against her bonds, attempting to free herself_. 'I guess I'm not gonna get outta these without a knife. My legs are tied to the chair too; guess I won't be walking anywhere either.' _Keiko sighed, slumping her shoulders. 'I need help.'

Her movements froze as she heard the sound of a door opening and closing. _'Is someone coming in or out?' _She resisted the urge to cringe as she heard footsteps approach her. She would not let them know she was afraid; she had too much pride for that. The blindfold was removed from her face, the sudden brightness blinding her momentarily and causing her head to throb more. "Hello Mrs. Urameshi," an unfamiliar voice said from behind her.

_ 'Why does everyone keep calling me that?' _she thought irritably. It wasn't like she hadn't tested out the way her name sounded with his last name; every girl in love did that. But why were_ they_ calling her that? "That's not my name; obviously you guys need to update your database. I'm not Yusuke's wife," she said, amazed by how steady her voice sounded.

"You're definitely Urameshi's girl," the man laughed. "Such bravado, you've been kidnapped and you're insulting me."

"I'm simply pointing out facts," Keiko replied, chaffing at his condescending tone.

"We do not call you Mrs. Urameshi because we don't know your name Keiko Yukimura. We do it because Yusuke will come after you like a dutiful husband," the man said, moving to stand in front of her. Keiko's eyes widened as she looked up at the man. _'He's a house!' _she thought. _'Maybe I shouldn't have insulted him.' _Her eyes took in his large muscles, his buzz cut hairstyle, his shades and came to one conclusion: he was trouble. "And when Yusuke comes to save you, and he will come, he loves you too much, I will squash him like a bug beneath my shoe."

* * *

The apartment was in a flurry of activity as Yusuke walked in. He had called the guys as he drove home, having them put a plan together.

"Kurama, what do we know?" Yusuke asked, walking over to where his redheaded friend sat.

"I can't track her by her cell phone GPS; they've either turned it off or just destroyed it all together," Kurama replied, frustrated. "I knew I should have bugged her phone. I managed to narrow down the possible houses where they could be holding Keiko. Hiei and Kuwabara sent out the other Southern District teams to scope them out and report back to us."

"How long until the report back?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't know," Kurama replied, running his fingers through his hair.

"That's not good enough!" Yusuke shouted, banging his fist against the desk. "They have Keiko!"

"And we're doing the best we can to get her back, but it's gonna take time to find out where she is. We have everyone possible out there: Jin, Toya, Chu, the Doctor's boys. Everyone is helping us, but we still need time to find her."

Yusuke stormed out of the living room, slamming his bedroom door behind him. He felt like pulling his hair out in frustration; he wanted to save Keiko and he wanted to save her now. He glanced at his bed, taking in the rumpled sheets. Could it have only been this morning that they were laying together in bed, their limbs tangled together. The sight made his heart ache as if it was falling apart. He slammed his fist into the wall, creating a small dent.

"Why are you so bent on going after Yusuke?" Keiko asked.

"Because Yusuke has been messing with the drug shipments into the Southern District and that makes me very unhappy," the man replied. "This is my gang and I will not allow anyone to disrupt my business."

"You're Toguro," Keiko said, her eyes widening.

"Even the good girl knows my name," Toguro said, taking his phone out. "Pardon me while I make a phone call."

Yusuke pulled his phone out of his pocket as it began to ring, his brow creasing as it showed a private number. "What do you want?"

"Is that anyway to talk to the person who's holding your girlfriend captive?"

* * *

What's Toguro called to say? What's team Urameshi planning? Will Keiko make it out alive? Reviews please


	36. Assembling the team

Yusuke pulled his phone out of his pocket as it began to ring, his brow creasing as it showed a private number. "What do you want?"

"Is that anyway to talk to the person who's holding your girlfriend captive?"

"Yusuke!" Keiko yelled, hoping he could hear her. "Yusuke!"

"Keiko! Keiko, are you okay?" Yusuke said worriedly.

Keiko's heart jumped at his voice, causing her to strain against the rope that bound her. "Yusuke I'm-" her words were cut off as Toguro clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Keiko is fine…for now. She's upset Karasu quite a bit though. Apparently she tased him and bit him. You've got a fighter on your hands Yusuke," the man said.

A little flame of pride flickered in Yusuke's heart at his words; he knew Keiko wouldn't go down without a fight. "Who are you?" Yusuke asked.

"You're speaking to the head of the Red Demon gang; I'm Toguro."

Yusuke felt his stomach drop; not only was Keiko kidnapped by the Red Demon gang but she was kidnapped by the _head _of the Red Demons. "What have you done to Keiko?" Yusuke snarled.

"Temper, temper Yusuke; you shouldn't yell at the person who holds your girlfriend's life in their hands," Toguro said.

"Free Keiko now and I won't rip your face off," Yusuke said dangerously.

"No I don't think I'll do that. Ms. Yukimura is a valuable game piece."

"She's not a toy!" Yusuke shouted.

"She's a pawn for now. So here's the game we're gonna play Yusuke. It is currently 11:23; you need to find your beloved Keiko in the next two hours or you'll have a lifeless body returned to you," Toguro said cruelly.

Keiko's stomach rolled with nausea at Toguro's words, bile rising in her throat. Within two hours she could be dead. She always thought when it was time for her to die it would come unexpectedly; the thought of dying now made her sick. _'Yusuke will save me; he'll find me and he'll come for me,'_ she thought, trying to calm her growing nausea.

"If you hurt one hair on Keiko's head I will kill you with my bare hands," Yusuke said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of his dresser. "Don't you dare touch her."

"Don't worry right now Yusuke; she's too useful as a pawn. But as your time begins to run out, so will her usefulness. Better move fast," Toguro said, hanging up.

* * *

"Keiko's been kidnapped?" Genkai said as she locked her front door, rushing out of her house. She was afraid something like this would happen, that they would use Keiko to get to Yusuke. It made sense tactically speaking, but it was a disgusting move on the Red Demons part. Genkai wished she had forced Yusuke to give Keiko a gun after the attack on Yukina; she wanted to kick herself now. She was enraged.

"Yeah," Yusuke said, barely controlling his emotions. He wanted to be out on the streets, tearing Tokyo apart until he found Keiko. But Tokyo was too big and his two hours would be spent before he even came close to finding him. He forced himself to stay put in the apartment, awaiting word from the other teams. "We've got less than two hours to find her."

"Don't worry dimwit, we'll find her." Genkai raced down the stairs of the shrine, faster than most people would think she could move at her age. "She's a tough cookie; she won't let them push her around."

"I'm worried about them killing her, not pushing her around," Yusuke exclaimed. He ran his fingers through his hair again, his nervous habit. "We need to find her."

"You will find her Yusuke; I'll be at your apartment in thirty minutes," she said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"How the hell are you gonna get here?" Yusuke asked.

"I have a car idiot."

"Since when!"

"Stop asking stupid questions and keep looking for Keiko; I'll be there soon," she said, hanging up. She dug her keys out of her pocket, dialing a new number on her phone. "Koenma," she said as the call was answered.

"Genkai, to what do I owe the honor of such a late night call?" Koenma asked, yawning.

"War is about to break out," she said simply.

"What?" Koenma said, sitting up in bed now wide-awake.

"The Red Demons have kidnapped Keiko; we have less than two hours to find her or she dies. We're on the verge of war right now."

"And Yusuke didn't think to call me?" he asked irritably as he pulled on clothes.

"Cut him some slack tonight; he's got a lot on his mind right now. Toguro called him personally."

"This won't end well; I'm heading to the apartment now, do you want me to come get you?" Koenma asked.

"No, I've got my own ride," Genkai said, racing down the highway. "I'll be at the apartment by the time you get there."

* * *

Yusuke was ready to tear the walls of the apartment down as he paced anxiously through the living room. They had less than an hour left to find Keiko.

"Dimwit, open the door," Genkai shouted as she banged on the front door.

"You brought baby face?" Yusuke said, opening the door.

"If we're gonna start a gang war, might as well let the big boss know," Genkai replied. "What have we got so far?"

"We have teams checking out the last two possible headquarters," Kurama said. "I suggest we get everything together now; I expect we'll hear from someone soon."

"I'm coming with you guys," Yukina said from her seat on the couch.

"No," Hiei said simply, polishing his sword.

"Yukina, it's too dangerous for you to go," Kuwabara said, his eyes wide at the thought of her going into such a dangerous situation.

"But I'm the only kind of medical help you all have; what are you going to do if Keiko's hurt?" she said.

"I suggest we let her come," Koenma said, earning glares from Hiei and Kuwabara. "She can stay in the car until we know she's needed."

Yusuke rubbed his hand across his face, sighing. "If you absolutely must go Yukina, you need a bulletproof vest; take one out of the closet."

"Yusuke," Kurama said urgently. "They've found the house."

* * *

The boys have a location, but will they make it in time? Reviews pleaseeeeeeeeee


	37. Offensive Manuver

"Geez, where does Toguro live?" Kuwabara asked as the car drove up a winding road toward the top of a hill.

"Well if you're going to do something illegal, the last thing you want are nosey neighbors asking to borrow a cup of sugar," Hiei replied.

Yusuke stepped harder on the gas pedal, a string of cars following him up the hillside. There was only thirty minutes left and every second that passed made him more anxious._ 'I'm coming Keiko; just hold on for me please. I'm coming.'_

* * *

"Time's running out Ms. Yukimura," Toguro said, lighting a cigarette. "Looks like Yusuke won't make it in time to save you."

"Yes he will; Yusuke will come for me," Keiko said, her heart thudding in her chest. Her voice was strong, but she felt like a nervous mess as the second hand slowly ticked on the clock hanging near by. She knew Yusuke was trying his best to make it in time; he wouldn't let anything happen to her. But that did little to ease the growing panic in her stomach.

"Maybe you overestimate the love Urameshi feels for you."

"No," Keiko said, shaking her head. "You underestimate how much he loves me. You have no idea what love can do; he'll be here, I know he will."

"Love makes you weak," Toguro mocked.

"Obviously you've never been in love," Keiko spat at him.

"I have, or at least I thought I did. It turned me into a sniveling weakling; it blinded me from the truth. Love is for the weak. You'll see how Urameshi breaks when he fails to save you in time," Toguro said coldly. "Or maybe you'll see it when he dies trying to save you."

"Yusuke won't fail," Keiko said confidently.

* * *

"What do we know Chu?" Kurama asked as they all gathered together. They stood a few yards away from the Red Demon headquarters, a huge mansion at the top of the hill, the only house around for miles. Isolated, perfect for an unrestrained gang battle, no one to call the police, no innocents to get caught in the crossfire.

"From what Rinku tells me there are guards stationed at every door and inside near every window on the first floor. We're gonna have to fight our way in," Chu said seriously, a startling change from his normally drunken demeanor.

"How many people guarding the doors and windows?" Yusuke asked, loading his gun. Yusuke hated using his gun; he felt as if it was a coward's way to fight. Any idiot could fire a gun and kill someone; it took real skill to be able to fight in hand-to-hand combat or even wield a sword like Hiei did. But tonight Yusuke didn't have any choice; he had to get in there and save Keiko no matter what the cost. If that meant he had to shoot a few Red Demon idiots, then he was willing to have the blood on his hands. He was willing to do anything to save Keiko.

"There's three guards at every door and two at every window," Rinku said, pulling his hat lower on his face.

"Could you wear a more noticeable color?" Kuwabara asked, looking at his red and yellow hat.

"I don't question your fashion choices, don't question mine," Rinku replied irritably.

"What's the battle plan Yusuke?" Toya asked, strapping on his wrist guards. Toya looked around at the assembled group, each dressed in their own gear._ 'We must look like a conspicuous bunch,' _he thought. Himself in his ninja gear from his dojo days, Rinku in his red and yellow outfit, Jin wearing only a pair of loose white pants, Koenma in his dress pants and tie. Even Genkai was there, dressed in a martial arts uniform. A strange looking group indeed, but a formidable bunch.

"Do you know where they're holding Keiko?" Jin asked.

Yusuke shook his head. "Kurama, did you bring those blue prints?"

"Right here," he said, spreading them out on the floor. "There are two floors to the building, multiple rooms; it'll take time to search all of them."

"Toguro would keep her here," Genkai said, pointing to a large room on the second floor.

"Why would you say that?" Yusuke asked, looking at his teacher.

"Toguro is all about putting on a show; look what he's doing now. He's trying to turn this all into a game, a hero running to save his princess. He's gonna want the best place to watch this all play out. There's only one way into this room so you can't sneak in and save Keiko. Having her on the first floor would be too easy."

"Sounds good enough to me," Yusuke said. "Not like we have any other ideas right now."

"So what's the battle plan Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, taking off his blue jacket.

"Jin and Toya, I want you to head around to the back door. Rinku and Chu, take out as many people as you can who are guarding the windows. Kurama, I'm gonna need that fire bomb you've been working on. Me, you, Hiei, and Kuwabara are gonna handle the front door," Yusuke said.

"I'm getting whoever attacked Yukina," Hiei said coldly.

Yusuke nodded; he couldn't disagree with Hiei there. "Yukina, you and Baby face stay by the car. If we need medical help, we'll call you. I don't want you stepping foot out of the car otherwise, okay? No matter what you hear or what you see, if someone doesn't call you then you don't come." Yukina nodded, her first aid kit held in a white knuckle grip.

"What about me dimwit?" Genkai asked.

"Do whatever the hell you wanna do Grandma; you're one hell of a fighter, I don't need to order you around. Everyone keep safe and watch each other's back," Yusuke said with a cheeky smile, mentally counting his guns as he walked toward the door. _'Two guns, five spare bullet clips, it should last long enough.' _"Toguro is mine."

* * *

"Your boyfriend is cutting it close Ms. Yukimura," Toguro said. "Only two minutes left."

"He's gonna be here," Keiko said calmly, her palms sweating.

"Are you so sure?" Toguro said. "Perhaps he's left you to die."

"You don't know Yusuke as well as you think then." Toguro opened his mouth to reply when there was a sudden explosion downstairs, the floor shaking slightly.

"What the hell!" Toguro exclaimed.

"He's here," Keiko said victoriously, a smile on her face.

* * *

Yusuke and the boys are storming Toguro's mansion. Will they manage to save Keiko and make it out alive or will we lose a beloved character? Reviews please


	38. Attack

"Is Yoko coming out to play tonight?" Hiei asked Kurama as he tightened his sword sheaths.

Kurama chuckled slightly. "Have you truly given my behavior a different name?"

"It seemed appropriate," Hiei replied.

"Well then, Yoko is never gone from me. He merely sleeps during the peaceful hours, but he's always there. So yes, he will come out to play tonight. I'm sure he'll enjoy it immensely."

* * *

"Kazuma, you'll be careful right?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"Course babe; I'll be back as fast as possible," Kuwabara said, kissing her quickly. "Gotta go in there and save Keiko."

Yukina smiled at Kuwabara, getting out of the car quickly and rushing toward her brother. She wrapped her arms around his torso, her face buried between his shoulder blades. Yukina was worried, worried about everyone: Keiko who was being held hostage, the guys who were rushing into danger to save her. She was scared for them all. But she knew she had to keep on a brave face; the last thing they needed was to be distracted by their worry for her. "You'll come back safely won't you brother?"

Hiei was surprised when he felt his sister's slender arms wrap around him, still covered in light bandages. He had never been one for hugs when they were growing up as children; he still wasn't and Yukina respected that. But every once in a while she would surprise him with a hug from behind: utterly unexpected, but still appreciated. Hiei placed his hands over Yukina's, squeezing her hands gently. "Of course I will; I won't leave you."

Yukina nodded, releasing her hold on him. "Be careful brother," she whispered as the boys walked toward the house.

"Kurama, you got the fire bomb?" Yusuke asked, taking the safety off his guns.

"Yes, but it's not a fire bomb," Kurama said. "They're simply explosives."

"Potato, potatoe. Where's the fun in calling them explosives? Fire bombs sound way better," Yusuke replied, lighting the fuse and chucking it toward the front door. "Duck and cover."

The guards at the front door barely had the chance to look down at the bomb before it exploded, blowing the doors wide open.

* * *

"What the hell!" Toguro exclaimed as the house was shaken slightly, his ears ringing from explosion.

"He's here," Keiko said victoriously, a smile on her face. "Yusuke's here."

Toguro took out his phone, quickly dialing a number. "Bui, Karasu, I want you on the first floor exterminating the intruders. Make sure all the windows and doors are covered and find out how many of them there are."

* * *

The boys rushed into the building, the smoke from the building beginning to dissipate. The guards rushed toward guns drawn, ready to shoot them. The sound of windows breaking distracted them, giving Yusuke and his team the opening they needed to shoot them all.

Hiei grabbed one of the guards by his neck, lifting him into the air. "The hospital fire, who's responsible for it?"

"W-what?" the man said, his blood leaking from the gunshot wound in his thigh.

"Who is responsible for the fire at Higurashi Memorial?" Hiei asked, drawing a sword from its sheath across his back. "My patience is limited."

"B-bui. Bui was supposed to start the hospital fire," the man stammered in fear. Hiei tossed the man aside, knocking him unconscious as his head collided with the wall.

"I think we underestimated the number of men in here," Kurama said, gesturing to the men who came rushing toward the entrance of the building. "Perhaps there's a basement we didn't account for."

"Urameshi, you get inside and find Keiko; we'll provide cover fire," Kuwabara said, drawing another gun.

Yusuke nodded, rushing the man who stood a few feet in front of his, knocking him aside easily.

The house was in absolute chaos, the shouts of men and the sounds of bullets ringing throughout the mansion. It seemed like there was an infinite number of men in the house; the Black Dragons were obviously outnumbered. But what they lacked in numbers they made up in determination.

"Aye Urameshi, where ya going?" Chu shouted, throwing a man through a broken window.

"I gotta find Keiko!" Yusuke replied, toward the stairs.

"Yer gonna need back-up!"

"I got him!" Jin replied, kicking a guard in the stomach.

"As do I," Genkai said, surprising them all.

"Grandma, I didn't even see you there," Yusuke said, racing up the stairs, Jin and Genkai watching his back.

"That's the point dimwit."

* * *

Toguro gritted his teeth as he listened to the gunshots ring out downstairs, forcing him to stay out of the fight. He would have loved to be in the thick of it, guns blazing, fists swinging. But he wanted it all to play out in a certain way and that required him to stay upstairs.

Keiko thought she would be sick with fear and worry as she listened to the sounds below her. She felt victorious when she first heard the explosion, her assurance that Yusuke was here to save her. But as she was forced to sit still and listen to the sound of gunfire, she grew more and more worried. Yusuke and his team couldn't take on the entire mansion of people alone; did they have back up or something? Who was winning? She could hear gunshots and people shouting, but she couldn't make out any voices in particular. Was anyone she knew injured? Would anyone she cared for die trying to save her?

"It seems we're in for an interesting night Ms. Yukimura," Toguro said, relaxing in his chair. Yusuke would come to him.

* * *

Hiei smiled wickedly as he stuck another guard with his sword, slashing his thigh muscles and sending him crashing to the floor. This was his element: chaos. People rushed around him, guards came after him with their guns drawn, but Hiei felt utterly calm as he dodged their bullets, his sword slashing one person after another. He was happy Yukina was kept in the car; not only was she safe there, but she was safe from the knowledge of how dangerous her brother could be. The last thing she needed to know about was the blood that washed his hands.

"I hear you are looking for me," a large, towering man said. "I am Bui."

Hiei pulled out his second sword, twirling it in his hand. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

* * *

Hiei's found his target. Will he manage to take his revenge or will he suffer the pain of defeat? Yusuke, Genkai and Jin are rushing upstairs, but will Toguro do something drastic? Reviews please :D


	39. Powerful Opponents

"You're Bui." he said, sizing up his opponent. He couldn't understand everyone's infatuation with unnatural hair colors: first Yukina with her sea-foam green, then Keiko's jabbering friend with her cotton candy blue hair and now this man with blue hair too. Yukina and Keiko's friend he could understand somewhat; he was told that women liked to experiment with their hair, but this man had no excuse. Bui was tall, but had a slim build much like Yusuke's, covered in a grey shirt and jeans. He held two large axes in his hands, lifting them as if they weighed nothing._ 'At least I'm not the only person who has interesting taste in weapons.'_ "You're the person who set fire to the Higurashi hospital?"

"Yes," Bui replied, smirking. "I was ordered to set fire to the hospital in the area where your sister worked. I even made sure I saw her in that area before I started the fire." Bui lifted one of his axes, leaning it against his shoulder. "I must admit I was surprised to hear that your innocent little sister had survived the flames; I thought for sure she would have died in the blaze. I hope the fire damaged her severely at least."

Hiei felt his blood boil at Bui's sword, slashing at him with his swords. "I will make you pay for endangering her life," Hiei snarled, constantly attacking.

Bui quickly took a step back, narrowly avoiding Hiei's sword. He was forced to dodge another of Hiei's swings as he prepared to swing his ax, forced into a defensive movement. One false move and he would be a goner.

* * *

"Hey, where'd Hiei go?" Kuwabara asked, slamming his fist into yet another guard's skull. It seemed as if they had been fighting for hours although they only started a few minutes before.

"He's probably searching for whoever set the hospital on fire," Kurama said, knocking a man unconscious. "He did say he wanted their head. Don't worry about him; he can handle himself."

"Yeah I think I might be more worried for the guards he ends up fighting," Kuwabra replied.

"I wouldn't be worried about Bui," a man said as he descended the stairs slowly, as if people weren't lying bloody and beaten around the room. "I'm sure he can handle your little friend Hiei."

"Who the hell are you?" Kuwabara shouted. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked at the man, his warning bells ringing in his head. Something about his slow, disjointed gait, his messy dark grey hair, his rumpled blue outfit, had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. This man was not to be trifled with.

"I'm the Elder Toguro," the man replied as he stood at the bottom of the staircase. "And I've decided I want to fight you," he said, throwing a ninja star at Kuwabara's face.

Kuwabara narrowly avoid the star, falling to the floor in his hasty movement. He managed to raise his gun toward the Elder Toguro, squeezing off a few rounds that he managed to dodge. _'Damnit he's fast.' _

"I'm surprised my stars didn't kill you or at least take your eye out; you'll be an entertaining opponent indeed," Elder Toguro said, advancing on Kuwabara as he quickly got to his feet. "I'll have fun killing you."

Kurama glanced at Kuwabara quickly, wondering if he should go to his friend's aid or if he would be alright by himself.

"Ah ah ah Kurama, keep your eyes in front of you," a man said, appearing from the hall next to the staircase. "I've been waiting to meet you, the great Kurama. Brilliant hacker, spectacular strategist, I bet it was even you that built the explosive that blew in the front door, wasn't it?" he said, glancing at the destroyed wood doors. "I never cared much for those doors anyway; I always did tell Toguro to replace them, they would become a weakness."

"I guess I'll have to thank Toguro for not changing them then," Kurama replied, puzzled as to why this man was attempting to have a conversation with him.

"Oh you'll never make it that far; I intend to kill you," the man said nonchalantly. "But where are my manners; I never introduced myself. What kind of killer am I? I'm Karasu," he said, bowing in mock respect.

"You're the one who's been sending the packages," Kurama said coldly.

"And I'm the one who kidnapped Keiko," he replied with pride. "But I've been waiting to see you the most. You're the one I want to fight." He drew his guns, firing at Kurama.

* * *

Bui backpedaled quickly, using his axes to protect himself from Hiei's attacks. What Hiei seemed to lack in size he made up in speed, strength, and rage. Now he wished he hadn't mocked Hiei's sister. Finally he saw an opening, swinging his gargantuan ax at Hiei. Hiei dodged the attack at the very last moment, his sword slicing through the wooden handle and rendering it useless.

"You will suffer for threatening my sister's life," Hiei said, charging him again. He quickly knocked the other ax from his hands, leaving Bui defenseless. He cornered Bui against the wall, his sword at his throat. "No one ever endangers Yukina's life, not while I'm alive," he said, quickly slashing Bui's throat.

* * *

'_Damnit, why are there so many people?'_ Yusuke thought angrily, pushing another person down the stairs. Trying to get through the second floor was like fighting against the ocean tide: incredibly frustrating and got you nowhere fast.

"Ay Urameshi we're gonna need to think of something fast or you'll never get to your girl," Jin said, kicking someone in the stomach.

"Yeah I'm working on it," Yusuke replied.

"Work faster nimrod," Genkai said, punching someone in the stomach.

* * *

Kuwabara ducked behind a thick column as he avoided another throwing star launched at him. _'Why is this guy so damn quick?'_ he thought.

"Now now, it's not any fun if you hide," Elder Toguro said. "How am I supposed to kill you that way?"

'_Crap I need a plan,'_ Kuwabara thought worriedly.

* * *

Kuwabara's got his back up against a wall, literally. Will he come up with a battle strategy fast enough? Kurama's fighting with the mysterious Karasu while Yusuke's struggling to get to Keiko, will he make it in time? Reviews please


	40. The Wild Card and The Genius

"Come out come out where ever you are," Elder Toguro said, throwing a ninja star behind the pillar where Kuwabara stood. Kuwabara gasped, crouching down just in time to avoid being struck in the side of his head, though he did lose a few hairs off the top. Kuwabara raced from behind the pillar, dodging between the people who ran back and forth through the house.

'_This guy needs to find someone new to play with,' _Kuwabara thought as his bullet whizzed by Elder Toguro's head.

"You know I think I find you the most interesting out of your entire team," Elder Toguro said, stalking Kuwabara like a hunted animal. His movements were slow, calculated and deliberate. "My brother is fascinated you could say, by Yusuke Urameshi. Head of the Southern District of the Black Dragons at such a young age, who wouldn't be curious? Especially with him interfering with so many shipments. Then there's Karasu's peculiar interest in Kurama, quite the meeting of the minds there. I don't think anyone's ever been able to outsmart Karasu before; he's as fascinated as he is enraged. Hiei's a violent tortured soul who's only purpose is to protect his twin. But I always wondered how you would fit in."

Several ninja stars few toward Kuwabara's head, forcing him to dodge between pillars and people as he tried to think of a plan. "And what did you come up with?" Kuwabara asked, trying to stall for time.

"I still haven't managed to figure out what your position is; do tell me, what makes you special enough to join Yusuke's team?" Elder Toguro asked, drawing more stars.

"Really wanna know?" Kuwabara asked, rushing out from behind the marble pillar. Elder Toguro threw several stars at him, some of them missing while others lodged in his arms. Kuwabara winced as they bit into his skin, his speed faltering momentarily before he continued onward. He raised his guns toward Elder Toguro, firing into his chest three times.

Elder Toguro's eyes widened as he felt the bullets hit him, the impact knocking him off his feet. He hadn't expected this, for Kuwabara to simply rush him and attack.

"I'm the wild card of our team," Kuwabara said, standing over Elder Toguro as he pulled the stars out of his arms.

* * *

"How's your plan coming along Urameshi?" Jin asked as he stabbed a guard in his arm.

"Still working on it," Yusuke replied as he was punched in the stomach."

"Idiot, you'll never get to Keiko this way," Genkai said, exasperated. "Jin and I will hold them off while you go find Toguro; I don't think Toguro's gonna wait to long for you to show up."

"Sure about that Genkai?" Yusuke said.

"Yes, now go!" Genkai shouted. Yusuke nodded toward her and Jin before rushing at the guards who stood in front of them, easily pushing them to the side. Jin grabbed them from the back as they attempted to chase after Yusuke.

"It's gonna be a long night," Jin said.

* * *

"I think you'd agree with me that we're both too intelligent for a display of brute strength," Karasu said, sizing up his opponent.

"I agree," Kurama replied, watching him carefully, looking for any possible weaknesses. "What do you suggest then?"

"I've always been fond of the elegant manners of the old west, the honor and hostile civility between the two people dueling. There's a certain intimacy between them wouldn't you say? Between the victim and the murderer, neither of them knowing which role they'll play until the trigger is pulled. It's quite poetic," Karasu said, smiling wickedly.

"Yes quite," Kurama said sarcastically. "Shall we do the standard five paces then?"

"Let's," Karasu said, turning away from him.

Kurama turned his back toward Karasu, slowly taking his first step forward. Although he would normally never turn his back to an enemy, he had a strange feeling he could trust Karasu not to shoot him in the back. They seemed to be on the same intellectual wavelength, their minds synchronizing. They would be able to fight until the sun rose with no victor; this simple battle would determine who was the smartest without dragging it out. Its simplicity was the highest measure of intellect.

At the fifth step Kurama turned, everything moving in slow motion as he and Karasu raised their guns. They locked onto their targets, their hold on their gun steady. Karasu was right; there was something about this moment that was intimate. It wasn't the intimacy of a victim and murderer; it was the intimacy of a person and death.

Karasu pulled the trigger, a smirk on his lips. There was no way Kurama could jump to the side and avoid his bullet; he was a goner. Kurama dropped to the floor as Karasu's gun was fired, firing his own gun at Karasu.

Karasu's smirk fell as he watched Kurama drop to the floor; his bullet missing the red-head's hair by mere inches. Kurama's bullet lodged in his chest, a few inches from his heart. Karasu dropped to his knees, his hand going to cover the leaking hole in his chest. "Brilliant," he said softly, his voice barely heard above the din of fighting. "Absolutely brilliant move. Finally someone has managed to rival my intelligence." Karasu slumped onto his side, his heart stopping.

Kurama took a deep breath as he got off the floor. He wasn't sure his plan would work; there was always the possibility that he would be too slow or Karasu would be too fast. He was simply lucky his mind had come up with a plan that easily. "No one outsmarts me," he said, walking toward the fighting.

* * *

Toguro untied Keiko from the chair, keeping her hands trapped behind her back. "We're going to need to move you a bit," Toguro said as he held her wrists tightly in his left hand, his gun held in his right.

"Let me go!" Keiko shouted, struggling futilely against his tight grip. "Yusuke! Yusuke!"

"There's no need to shout Ms. Yukimura; I'm sure he'll be here in a minute or two."

* * *

what will happen next? *Dramatic music* reviews please


	41. Two Bullets

Here we are readers, after the roller coaster ride that has been the past 40 chapters we're finally here at the dramatic climax of my story. I have to say i'm not good at writing fighting scenes, it's almost as hard as writing sex scenes for me. So i hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Hold onto your seats folks. And don't kill me when you finish reading this chapter, just review it and let me know your thoughts/opinions/concerns/emotions

* * *

Keiko continued to struggle against Toguro's hold, wincing as he tightened his grip on her wrists. "Stop moving," Toguro said irritably, squeezing Keiko's arm.

"Go to hell!" she replied, trying to pull away from him. "Yusuke! Yusuke!," she called, trying to kick Toguro in his shin.

"Count on Urameshi to have such a fighter for a girlfriend," Toguro said. "Now Ms. Yukimura I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to; I don't take pleasure in harming people who are weaker than me. But if you keep struggling against me I will do what I must."

"And what are you going to do?" Keiko said venomously, her anger and fear making her bold.

She gasped as she felt a gun poke in her back, her frame going rigid. "I will kill you if I must. It will definitely affect Yusuke, but I don't know which way it will go, whether he'll fly into a rage and become stronger or fall into depression and become weaker. I don't like fighting the weak so I'm unwilling to take that chance yet."

* * *

Genkai felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she threw yet another body down the stairs. _'Everything is coming to a climax,' _she thought as she continued fighting. Someone would die tonight, she could feel it in her bones, in her fighting instinct. She didn't know if it would be Toguro or Yusuke or even Keiko, but all three of them would not leave the room alive._ 'Be careful dimwit,' _she thought, focusing on the fight before him.

"How ya think Urameshi's doing?" Jin asked.

"As long as we don't hear any gun shots, he's okay," Genkai replied.

Kuwabara growled as he found Kurama and Hiei fighting once again, changing the clip on his gun.

"Who turned you into a pin cushion?" Hiei asked, smirking.

"Shut up, I had to fight a psychopath with ninja stars," Kuwabara replied irritably. "That guy was insane. Did you ever find the guy who set the hospital on fire?"

"Yes, he won't be coming after Yukina ever again," Hiei said, his eyes glowing with sated anger.

Kuwabara nodded, turning toward the stairs as if someone had called his name. 'Something's wrong,' Kuwabara thought, focused on the second floor.

"Kuwabara look out!" Kurama shouted, shooting the man standing behind him.

Kuwabara jumped as he heard the body hit the floor, snapped out of his trance. "You fool, if you want to daydream take it somewhere else," Hiei said, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up shrimp!"

* * *

"Will you all just get out of my way!" Yusuke shouted, punching one of the guards in the stomach. Despite the running start he had taken toward the room, he still found himself surrounded by guards and losing his patience quickly. He could see the doorway from where he stood, just a few feet away. All that was keeping him from Keiko were these idiot guards who had a death wish. His heart clenched as he heard Keiko scream his name, his anger flaring uncontrollably. The remaining guards were knocked out in a matter of seconds. "Keiko!" Yusuke cried as he threw open the heavy wooden doors.

"Yusuke!" Keiko shouted in relief, the tense leaving her body slightly.

"Yusuke Urameshi, we meet at last," Toguro said, smiling evilly.

"Let her go Toguro," Yusuke said, raising his gun. He didn't want to fire at Toguro; Keiko was being held in front of him and he wouldn't risk accidently shooting her.

"It seems you were right Ms. Yukimura; Yusuke would come for you," Toguro said, ignoring Yusuke.

"Let me go!" Keiko said, struggling to get to Yusuke.

"Of course," Toguro said, easily slicing the ropes that wrapped her arms and legs.

Keiko sprinted to Yusuke as the ropes fell to the floor, stumbling a bit as the blood began to circulate again. "Yusuke," she cried as she felt his arms wrap around him, her heart pounding.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked worriedly, running his hands over her body as he looked for any injuries.

Keiko shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with tears of relief. "My head just hurts a lot."

"We're not finished just yet Yusuke," Toguro said, drawing his attention away from Keiko.

"You're right; we're not," Yusuke said, pushing Keiko behind himself. "I'm going to kill you and rip your head off," Yusuke said, raising his guns toward Toguro. "Keiko get out of here."

"No I won't leave you," Keiko replied, her voice surprisingly strong.

"Keiko it's dangerous here," Yusuke said, resisting the urge to turn toward her.

"You're wasting your breath Yusuke; your girlfriend is a stubborn person," Toguro said, chuckling slightly. He raised his own gun, pointing it at Yusuke. "I think it's time we put an end to this shall we?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Yusuke replied. "Keiko, get behind that pillar."

"Last man standing?" Toguro asked.

"Sounds good to me," Yusuke said, making sure Keiko was properly hidden.

* * *

Yukina reached for the car door handle, her eyes filled with fear.

"You can't leave the car Yukina," Koenma said calmly as he looked at her. "They haven't called for you so I can't let you leave."

"But I have a bad feeling Koenma; something's not right," Yukina replied.

"I know but if I let you go and the others find out, they'll have my head." Yukina nodded, sitting back in her seat.

* * *

Genkai looked toward the door as a series of gunshots rang out, drawing everyone's attention. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she heard footsteps rushing up the stairs, Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara appearing at the top.

"What the hell was that?" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"The fight between Toguro and Yusuke," Genkai replied.

* * *

Keiko felt as if her heart would burst as she listened to the gunfire, her eyes squeezed shut. She wouldn't step out from behind the pillar until the noise stopped. Finally there was silence, almost deafening after the loud gunshots. She poked her head out from behind the pillar, looking at Yusuke down on one knee, his head resting against his upraised knee, blood leaking down his fingertips and Toguro's slumped form against the chair she had been tied to, his chest bleeding.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she watched Toguro raise his hand, pointing his gun at Yusuke's head. She moved before she gave her body the order, rushing toward Yusuke. She was aware of his name leaving her lips. And then there was pain.

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reviews please


	42. This Can't Be Happening

Just so you all know, my best friends are veryy disgruntled with me for messing with my readers with these cliffhanger endings, they might kill me =x but remember it's okay cause it's not the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. Readers, I suggest you have tissues on hand; I teared up writing this.

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'_This can't be happening.' _

Everyone's heads turned toward the end of the hallway as the ominous silence that surrounded them was broken by two shots fired rapidly, followed by a single shot.

Kuwabara felt a shiver go down his spine, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water down his back. His heightened intuition had all the warning signals going off in his head. _'This is bad, this is really bad,'_ he thought as they fought off the few remaining guards that were still able to fight.

Genkai felt her stomach twist into knots in the aftermath of the gunshots. It was never good when a silence was broken by gunshots; it was always followed by bad news for someone. Judging by the way the shots were fired it seemed as if both sides would be getting bad news. _'Don't die Yusuke,'_ she thought worriedly. He was her only student, the only person she had ever trained and as much as they argued and insulted each other, she was really fond of him. He was like the arrogant, stubborn son she had never had. With him around some days she was glad she never had him. But she cared for him like she would if he was her kid, following in her tradition of tough love. _'I told you not to die dimwit.'_

Kurama glanced quickly at the closed wooden doors at the end of the hallway before refocusing on his opponent, his brow creased with worry. Yusuke was an excellent fighter, an amazing shooter, but the number of shots fired worried him, especially the way they were fired. It wouldn't be unusual for Yusuke to fire two rounds, just to ensure that his opponent was dead. But the single shot that followed puzzled him the most. Yusuke wouldn't have missed so who had shot the last bullet? Was it possible that Toguro had fired the first two shots and Yusuke had fired the third? But if that was so then how hadn't Toguro killed Yusuke? Did Keiko possibly get her hands on a gun? Yusuke had to be carrying extras on him. The mystery puzzled and confused Kurama, a state of mind he didn't appreciate.

'_We've lost someone,'_ Hiei thought as he punched a man in the stomach. He was surprised by himself. We. He had never counted himself as part of the team even though he was a member. The only "we" he had ever counted himself a part of was being family with Yukina. But somehow between the fights they all fought, the danger they faced together, the meals shared at the same tables, and the nights spent in each other's company, he had become part of a new "we," part of the team. And now they had lost someone without a doubt. The way the shots were fired left no room for debate; one, possibly two people were dead in the room at the end of the hall and there was no way to change it.

* * *

Yusuke felt as if he was in a horrible nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. It couldn't be Keiko in his arms, bleeding from gunshot wounds. It couldn't have been Keiko who threw herself in front of him, protecting him while injuring herself. This couldn't be happening.

Everything had happened so quickly. The gunfight with Toguro had ended. He could feel one bullet as it imbedded itself in his left thigh, another nicking his right bicep. But he managed to lodge two bullets in Toguro's chest, causing him to fall to the floor. The pain of the bullet wound sent him down to his knees, his forehead resting against his upraised knee as he tried to take deep breaths and get past the pain. He still had to get Keiko out of there. Then he heard her scream his name, looking up to see Toguro's gun pointing at him. _'That was it,'_ he thought. '_He had lost and Toguro had won.' _Then Keiko was in front of him, her chestnut brown hair in his face, her body jerking as she was hit twice. His eyes widened as she fell to the floor, his gun rising reflexively to shoot Toguro through the heart, his body on autopilot.

"Keiko!" Yusuke exclaimed, leaning over her body. "What the hell were you thinkng?" His stomach clenched into uncomfortable knots as he saw the blood soaking through Keiko's shirt.

"I was thinking I wasn't going to let you die," Keiko replied, glaring at him slightly. "I wasn't going to lose you."

"Why would you do something stupid like that?" Yusuke said softly, his eyes filled with tears. "I would have been fine."

"You would have died Yusuke," Keiko said, lifting her hand to cup Yusuke's cheek. "I wasn't going to lose you; I let you get away once, I wasn't going to do that again."

"I'll get you help Keiko," Yusuke said, holding her hand against his cheek. He didn't like the way Keiko had struggled to lift her hand, shaking slightly. He didn't like how cool her skin felt against his. "I'll get Yukina; you'll be fine."

The doors burst open behind them, Yusuke whirling around with his gun raised. He lowered it as he saw his team standing in the doorway, their expressions different levels of shock and horror.

"What the hell happened Urameshi!" Kuwabara exclaimed. He had expected to see Yusuke laid out on the floor maybe, not Keiko.

"Go get Yukina now! Keiko needs a doctor," Yusuke shouted, focusing his attention on Keiko. He ignored how his vision seemed to blur slightly, how his hands shook with emotion as he kissed her palm. Kuwabara rushed out of the room, leaping down the stairs; time was of the essence.

Keiko struggled to breathe, pain shooting through her back. She knew it would hurt to get shot, but the pain radiating through her back made her want to throw up and pass out. It was hard for her to do anything, hard to breathe, hard to speak, hard to lift her hand to cup Yusuke's cheek. She didn't like the frantic pained look in his eyes as he leaned over her; she wanted to take it away. But there was no way for her to do it. She was the one causing his pain.

Keiko could feel herself drifting, her eyes wanting to close and just sleep. But she knew there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to open them again. She was losing blood too quickly; she could tell by the weak feeling in her body, the terror-stricken look on Yusuke's face. If there was ever a time to say it, it would be now. The words that had never passed their lips but everyone knew. Those three little words. "Hey Yusuke," Keiko said softly, a small smile on her lips. She felt so dizzy trying to focus on Yusuke as he blurred in and out of vision.

"Yeah Keiko," he replied, stroking her hair gently with his free hand. He heard footsteps running on the stairs. "Yukina's gonna be here in a second Keiko; don't worry."

"Listen Yusuke, I want you to know something just in case."

"Hey don't talk like that," Yusuke said, his stomach dropping.

"Yusuke, I love you," Keiko said, her eyes filling with tears. "I love you Yusuke Urameshi."

"I love you too Keiko," Yusuke replied, his voice cracking._ 'This can't be happening, this can't be happening.' _

"Don't forget that okay? I'll always love you," Keiko said, her eyes closing.

"Keiko? Keiko!"

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Don't hurt me, Reviews please


	43. I love you

Here we are ladies and gentleman, the last chapter of Unexpected Meetings. It's been a wild and crazy rollercoaster ride with Team Urameshi, but i've had a blast and i hope you all have too. Thanks for sticking with this story so long. If you have any suggestions on what my next story should be about feel free to leave it in a review or a private message; if i like it enough i'll dedicate the story to you. Happy reading!

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The first thing Keiko was aware of as she regained consciousness was the warm weight resting on top of her thigh. The second thing she noticed was the incessant beeping that wouldn't go away. _'Seriously, if this is what being dead is like, this sucks,' _she thought, struggling to open her eyes. She felt utterly exhausted, like she just completed a triathlon. She would have been perfectly content to keep her eyes closed and slip back into sleep, but her curiosity tugged at her mind, wanting to know what was on top of her leg. Slowly she managed to open her eyes, blinking her eyes a few times before it cleared. _'If this is supposed to be heaven then I'm really angry with someone,' _Keiko thought as her eyes settled on Yusuke's sleeping face, his head resting on her thigh. _'This has to be some cruel joke; I died didn't I?' _She watched Yusuke sleeping for a few minutes, the heavy bags under his eyes, the slow inhale and exhale of his breathing, the way his hair got into his eyes a little bit. _'I'm in a hospital,' _she thought. _'I didn't die.' _She raised her hand slowly, the effort more draining than it should have been, but she refused to give up. Moving inches at a time her hand finally rested against Yusuke's warm skin, sighing in relief. _'I'm alive,'_ she thought, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

Yusuke felt something soft and slightly cool rest against his cheek, tugging him away from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, yawning slightly. He had sat by Keiko's side ever since they had brought her to the hospital, leaving for moments only when he absolutely had to. His eyes widened when he looked up at her, her warm tear-filled brown eyes looking back at him. Her thumb brushed weakly against his cheek, a watery smile on her face. "Keiko," Yusuke breathed in disbelief.

"Yusuke," she said softly, her voice hoarse from sleep. Yusuke jumped to his feet, enveloping her in a hug, his face buried in her hair. Keiko's body began to shake with the force of her sobs, her breathing becoming erratic.

Yusuke pulled back slightly, a few tears trickling down his cheeks. "You're okay," Yusuke said, brushing away her tears. "I was so worried; I thought I was gonna lose you."

"I'm sorry to worry you so much," she replied, resting her hands over Yusuke's. "I didn't want to leave you."

"It's okay now, everything's okay," Yusuke said, resting his forehead against hers.

Keiko's eyes closed in contentment as Yusuke's warm breath blew against her chilled cheeks. "How's everyone else?"

"They're okay, little banged up but they're all still standing."

"And you?" Keiko asked, opening her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay now," Yusuke replied, brushing his thumb against her cheekbone slowly. "Keiko?"

"Yeah Yusuke?" Keiko said, exhaustion washing over her, her eyelids drooping.

"I love you," he said softly, pressing his lips gently against hers.

Keiko smiled slightly, her eyes closing. "I love you too Yusuke; I love you so much," she said, slipping into sleep.

Yusuke looked down at his sleeping girlfriend, brushing her bangs back. He kissed her forehead softly, settling back into his seat; everything was finally going to be okay.

* * *

Epilogue

Keiko bustled around the kitchen, putting all of the food into dishes to be placed on the dining room table. It had been two months since the showdown with the Toguros. She had spent a week in the hospital recovering from the gunshot wounds, grateful neither of them hit her spinal cord. After she had been released she moved in with Yusuke; there was no place she would rather be. She loved Yusuke more than anything; there would be no one after him and the entire team had become an extended family to her. It took her time to recuperate and her back still ached when she lifted something too heavy or spent too much time on her feet, but she was well enough to go back to work at her bakery.

She moved all the dishes to the table, calling on everyone for dinner. Yusuke came out of the living room, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he kissed her shoulder. He had been wracked with guilt and worry when she first regained consciousness, but he was grateful to still have her, to be able to hold her every night and kiss her every morning.

Kuwabara and Yukina followed in next, smiling as they held hands. Yukina had managed to get a new job at a different hospital, though she still had nightmares about fires. The burn she suffered also left her with scars, but Kuwabara made sure she never felt self-conscious about them. A diamond engagement ring shone on Yukina's ring finger. Kuwabara finally worked up the courage to propose to her after the big battle; they were planning a wedding for next spring. Not everyone was happy about it, but Hiei couldn't refuse his baby sister.

Speaking of the devil, Hiei walked in from his bedroom, taking his seat at the end of the table. He was the one who torched the Toguro mansion after everyone had gotten out, indulging his inner pyromaniac. He didn't seem to treat Keiko any differently, but Keiko noticed him watching her almost protectively. Not as protective as he was with Yukina, but still more protective than before.

Lastly Kurama came to the table, smiling at Yusuke and Keiko. He was the one who managed to come up with a plausible story of why Keiko was shot, who managed to shift Black Dragon funds around to pay for her hospital bill, who put a major dent into the money the Red Demons had control of. He was an intelligent force to be reckoned with.

Keiko smiled as she looked around the table at the faces of her new family, laughing, talking, even scowling. She had never thought her life would go on such a rollercoaster ride simply because she decided to leave work late one night. She never thought her life would have so much adventure and drama and danger. She never thought she would have so much love in her life. So much had changed, but she wouldn't change a second of it.

"Hey Keiko," Yusuke said, pulling her from her thoughts. "I love you," he said softly, kissing her.

Keiko smiled back, returning his kiss. "I love you too Yusuke, I love you too."

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! Leave a review or suggestion for my next fanfiction!


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